Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar in Chino Hills

After trying Wingstop, we got into the chicken wings mood yet again. I've heard about Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar and wanted to try it. When we got there on a Sunday afternoon, the place was packed, and there wasn't even a Lakers' game on.

Reading Yelp, we decide to give the Asian Zing wings a try. These were too mild for my taste, but they were alright. The Mango Habanero wings were medium hot and good, but I'm actually not a fan of the sweeter wings. Now, since I don't quite remember which of these two wings were which, I'll put these two side by side below.

The Parmesan Garlic wings were quite floury and not as crisp as those at Wingstop, but they are tastier than those at Wingstop. I liked these the most of the ones I tried today.

We also ordered BBQ chicken tenders for the kids. Again, these tasted better than those at Wingstop, but they were just alright.

How does this establishment compare to those at Wingstop? I definitely say that these are wings are meatier, but I think i will have to go back and try some of their hotter wings to be able to compare the flavors.

This branch of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar is located at 3160 Chino Ave. in Chino Hills, CA(909) 591-9035

Wingstop in Baldwin Park

After a nice outing with the family, we stopped by Wingstop in Baldwin Park and grabbed some chicken wings.

We ended up getting the family pack which gave us up to four different flavorings. I originally wanted the atomic flavor, which is super spicy, but the person at the counter talked my cousin out of it. I should have been there to stand my ground.

My favorite of the ones we did get was the cajun flavored wings. Granted, the wings were small and measly, but the flavor was good. These were a tad salty, so stay away if you don't like salt. It had just the right amount of spice for me.

The original hot flavored one has that good tabasco flavor, but it was quite soggy.

The garlic parmesan ones were nice and crispy, but it was sorely lacking in taste.

My least favorite was the honey barbeque ones, mainly because I'm not a fan of that type of flavor. But if you are a fan of such, they tasted alright.

The family meals come with potato salad that was awful and bland and with fries that are equally as bad. It also comes with a lot of carrots and celery sticks. I wish there were more of these.

I didn't take a photo, but we also ordered some chicken strips for the kids, which were dry and bland. I don't recommend these.

All in all, Wingstop was okay, but hubby and I immediately looked into other wing places.

This branch of Wingstop is located in 3127 Baldwin Park Blvd in Baldwin Park, CA (626) 962-4400

Ostioneria Colima in Hacienda Heights

Do you sometimes get food cravings that last weeks and weeks and you can't just kick them until you satisfy them? Well mine recently was for any kind of ceviche, and although I tried ceviche at Taco Nazo and thought it was good, I wanted to try another place. With Yelp to the rescue, I found out about Ostioneria Colima.

We missed the parking in front when we drove by, so we kept going and parked in the large plaza just down the street and walked over. As soon as we got inside, we felt like we were in Baja.

The menu on the large board was in Spanish except for the "Order Here" sign. The TV's on the ceilings were all in Spanish and the servers spoke Spanish to me. It was a good thing my Spanish skills are quite good. We were the only non-Hispanic folks there, so we felt like how non-Asians might feel walking into a Chinese restaurant, but at least it's a good sign because then I knew this was the real deal here. Let's play a game. Can you spot R's bald head in the photo above?

The inside seating is quite cramped, but there are seats outdoors too. Out came some chips and salsa. This was very good and spicy salsa, and the chips were excellent.

Reading the reviews, I decided I had to get the campechana, which is a seafood cocktail. Mine came in a huge glass cup with large shrimps and fresh avocado, octopus pieces and I believe abalone cubes. Believe it or not, the cup I ordered was the small. I'm wondering how big the large is. This campechana was a little on the sweet side, but nothing that a little Mexican lime juice and some Tapitio hot sauce couldn't fix. You know Tapitio makes everything taste better, and I'm not just saying that because the owners' children were C's classmates in preschool.

We also ordered a shrimp ceviche, which came out on a tostada. Again, some Mexican limes and Tapitio were called for, but it was loaded with shrimps and was excellent.

I forgot to warn hubby about the size of the tacos, so he ordered five fish tacos, and that was way too much for our small family. The fish tacos above are not the kinds I normally like. The fish itself was tough, resembling more of the Vietnamese fried fish (Ca Chien) than the lightly battered and fried kind that I like in fish tacos, and the cabbage and white sauce added a bitterness to the tacos that I didn't find enjoyable.

Same with the shrimp taco I ordered. Too chewy. I looked around and was tempted by the oysters on the half shell, and the price on that was not bad, but since we ordered too much food, I'm saving it for next time. I also heard good things about their spicy shrimps (Camarones Diablo) and am looking forward to another trip to taste those too. If you're in the mood for some good Mexican mariscos, I highly recommend Ostioneria Colima. For tacos, go elsewhere. Oh, by the way, make sure your kids don't keep pressing the little black buttons on the windows and tables, because those buttons call the servers over, and they'd be angry if they have to come over for nada.

There are some other Ostioneria Colima's sprinkled around the Southland, but this got the best reviews.

Ostioneria Colima is located at 1136 S. Hacienda Blvd in Hacienda Heights, CA (626) 333-8017

Lee's Sandwiches in Rowland Heights

Honestly, I've never been a big fan of Lee's Sandwiches. Their sandwiches and che just don't taste authentic or fresh to me, and there are better places to get Vietnamese sandwiches, such as Van's or Banh Mi Che Cali's. But when you're stuck out here in the Rowland Heights/Diamond Bar area, there's really no quick place to go for a good banh mi, until now.

My friend and I have joked about opening up a Lee's for a while now, so when I found out from hubby that one actually opened up in Rowland Heights, I was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes I just have to get a good Viet sandwich, and a so-so sandwich is better than none at all.

Unfortunately, when the family went on one of the coldest nights in December, I wanted some Vietnamese dessert (che), and when I asked the girl at the counter if they had any, it seemed as if she didn't know what I was talking about. They did have the thach (agar desserts) that the kids love, but I really wanted some warm che, doggonnit! At least their cafe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee) was familiar and just like how we drink ours at home. Don't ask me why I wanted ice coffee on one of the coldest nights in December.

Like I said, their sandwiches are so-so. And again, sometimes you just really want some banh mi. Lee's also have ham croissants and the like if you're not so into the Viet stuff.

This branch of Lee's Sandwiches is located at 18194 Colima Road, Rowland Heights, CA

Food to Go in Rowland Heights

What food to go? No, just Food to Go. That's the name of the restaurant. Located next door to T S Emporium in Rowland Heights, this little shop is literally a hole in the wall. We noticed it one day looking for C's thermos options at T S Emporium and decided to try it sometime.

So after church one day, we headed over to grab some dim sum. Hubby's Chinese is almost nonexistent, but I made him order anyways because I was busy feeding R in the van. He's usually a little terrified of ordering in Chinese, but he was able to. You'll be better off telling the staff what you want, although there was one person who spoke limited English there when he went.

I had taken a peek inside the place the first time we went by, and they sell Chinese BBQ items also, like a Sam Woo's. But I was interested in the take out dim sum because I've been on the hunt for cheap places around my area to buy it.

For $11.40 ($2.80 each dish), we got 8 siu mai (pork dumplings), dan tart (egg custards), 4 har gow (shrimp dumplings), and 4 char siu baos (BBQ pork buns). I can't remember how many dan tart they gave us, but I think it was the three as shown in the photo. Yes we ate a few before I was able to take a photo. Shame on...uh the kids? Alright, I had some too.

The char siu bao filling was quite pasty and was not too great, but it wasn't that bad either. The har gow was good, and the siu mai also with its really chunky shrimps mixed in with the pork. The dan tarts were soggy but edible. Can't expect much for cheap dim sum, and I've had so much better in the Alhambra area, but I'm just happy I found something around here.

We came back on a different day and they were out of the siu mai and har gow at around one, so come early. On that day, we got chicken baos and sesame balls, and again those were just average.

Anyone know of a better cheap take out dim sum place in the Eastern SGV?

Food to Go is located at 1425 Nogales St., Rowland Heights, CA

Foo-Foo Tei in Hacienda Heights

Two weeks ago, a couple of friends of mine came into town for a conference, and we had to schedule dinner together so that we could catch up and give them an opportunity to meet R. One of my friends, who I envy because while I'm busy at home raising three kids, she's summited Mount Rainier up north, and her tales of her conquest brought back all those years of hiking I use to do as a single and free student. But while she has Mt. Rainier, she tells me that there are no good ramen places in her metro, so I am glad I'm able to take her to Foo-Foo Tei to get her ramen kick.

Foo-Foo Tei was introduced to me by my cousin when I was in search of a ramen place in my area after my favorite one closed down. Her husband used to work together with the owner of the place and actually tried getting him to work for them to introduce Vietnamese pho' into the restaurant. Luckily they've decided to focus on Japanese because they've got something good going on there.

Most first-timers to Foo-Foo Tei like my friends alway point out that it's located in the strangest location. Driving to Foo-Foo Tei takes you down a street that has nothing but industrial and residential buildings, leading you to think that you've made a seriously wrong turn somewhere. The rent must be seriously low here. Once you get there, there is usually a long wait since the restaurant is quite small, but no worries because you can read the racks of manga inside the doorway while you're waiting. Luckily today since my buddies had to leave early, we had dinner at 4:45 pm, and there was hardly a soul there.

I usually order the seafood ramen in really spicy miso soup, but since I was sharing today with the kids, I ordered the plain, non-spicy Miso Ramen. It was still good, as I really like their delicious, creamy miso broth. The noodles were as slurpible as always, although I realize some people like their noodles al dente.

My friends both ordered the Pork and Miso Ramen, and they both really liked it. My friend from Washington said she'd be coming back here again when she's in the area.

The appetizers we ordered today were awesome. The fried tofu were a hit with my kids, and they ate most of it. These were fried and salted just perfectly and were so light.

My favorite of the whole dinner was the broiled squid. It was perfect in every way. Fresh, crunchy, just yummy.

After coming home from Foo-Foo Tei, I started going into my Japanese food binge. You can see that from my recent previous posts, can't you? By the way, they have a second branch in Monterey Park under a different owner, but from what I've read, that one is not as good as this original one.

Foo-Foo Tei is located at 15018 Clark Ave., Hacienda Heights, CA (626) 937-6585

Whimsical Frozen Yogurt in Hacienda Heights

So after not liking Pinkberry the first time I tried it, I've really gotten myself knee-deep into the fro-yo craze. So when Whimsical in Hacienda Heights advertised its Grand Opening recently with a two for one coupon, you know I had to drag the kids there. Unfortunately, I dragged them towards the end of a very long day that consisted of church, lunch, birthday party, and dinner with visiting friends. More to come on the kids later.

My first impression of this place was that it was so very roomy. I was wondering why they needed so much empty space and why they didn't just put in more tables, but then again most of the tables were empty. Then I noticed that there was a guy serving gelato to some of the customers. I forgot that the advertisement had stated that they serve gelato here too in addition to the frozen yogurt. Not being a big fan of gelato, I dragged the kids towards the back where the yogurt machines were located.

I was disappointed at the selection of the yogurt flavors that were offered. There were ten flavors offered. I sampled the kahlua and didn't like it. There were no green tea or more exotic fruit flavored ones (my favorites). The kids got an orange flavored one and the strawberry. I didn't like those too much either. Hubby got the NYC cheesecake one, and again not too great for me. But I tried the tart and I'd have to say their tart is very yummy, better than Cherry On Top's tart. It tasted very much like the Vietnamese yogurt that I love. I just recently checked Whimsical's website and found that they rotate their yogurt flavors.

While C, and I were at the toppings bar, I heard hubby gasp and turned around to see that J had pulled the handle on the strawberry yogurt machine and that there was probably about two cups of the strawberry yogurt decorating the machine and the floor. Quickly hubby grabbed some tissue and scooped everything up and into the trash before the guys at the counter saw what happened. Otherwise we'd be paying for a lot of yogurt. By the way, the price was cheaper than Cherry On Top's at 30 cents an ounce.

The toppings were not as extensive as Cherry On Top's, and the fruits were not as fresh. They did have green mochi, but the mochi were a little hard for me. While we were still piling on the toppings, J started throwing a tantrum because he wanted his own yogurt. I quelled that tantrum in about half a minute and was quite proud of myself.

As we headed over to our table and sat down, I noticed this guy giving my kids and I a dirty look. He looked to be in his late twenties and immediately I was offended that someone that probably had no idea what it was like to deal with three tired and cranky kids would be judging me for having a three year old who threw a tantrum which I thought I did a pretty good job at handling. So immediately I aimed my camera at him and he immediately looked down at his laptop. I discovered I found a new use for my camera that night.

Anyways, Whimsical has a very good tart yogurt, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here unless I have another coupon, which I do. Whimsical's website is offering a buy one get one free coupon per person if you sign up your email address, but there are very few locations. I hope the next time I go, there will be better yogurt flavors than what was offered this time around and an absense of humbug customers in the store.

This location of Whimsical is located at 1655 Azusa Ave. Suite G, Hacienda Heights, CA (626) 965-7878

Coconut Bay Bar and Grill in Rowland Heights

J had a birthday recently, and to celebrate, I was gonna drag my family to Happy Harbor in Rowland Heights. When we got there, we noticed there was a wedding party there, and hubby was told that the whole place was booked for the wedding. So we improvised and headed across the street to Coconut Bay Bar and Grill.

It took a while for our whole party of 13.5 to arrive but the waiter was quite patient with us. I'll get back to that .5 in a bit. The waiter took our order electronically, and as the food took a while to arrive, we had time to check out the football games projected on the walls or broadcast on the screens hanging everywhere in the restaurant and enjoy yelling at each other across the table to get our conversation across.

We ordered quite a few dishes, most of which birthday boy himself couldn't possibly eat. Not until I desensitize his little tongue to spice. My favorite of the night was the Homok Talay. This is a hodge podge of seafood (shrimp, crab legs, mussels, clams, fish, and mussels) mixed with chili and coconut milk. Not pretty to look at, but it had a nice kick and was very tasty.

The Three Flavors Sand Bass was fried nicely and was quite crisp on the outside. The sauces made it sweet and tasty, but the meat was a little dry.

The Tom Yum Koong was my cousin's favorite. It was very spicy, which I like, but it was also on the salty side (not a downside for me at all). Believe it or not, the first time I came here with friends, it was even saltier and spicier, so much so that in our party of four, I had to eat the whole pot by myself because no one else could take the spice. Some people might be turned off by the saltiness. One pot was not enough for our party, so we ordered a second pot, and cousin noted that this one had more soup and less food than the previous pot did.

The beef Nam Tok was ok for me. This is a dish of beef covered with roasted rice powder and mixed with herbs, onion, and lime juice. Could have had more flavor.

Hubby ordered the Paradise Duck. This was roasted duck mixed in a red curry/coconut sauce. It was good and had a lot of flavor, but I really don't like duck too much because of the tougher texture. Also, I was turned off by the measly serving of this dish.

The Lemon Fertile Calamari is seasoned with lime and is served over mung bean noodles. The calamari, although fresh, definitely needed more lime or spice or something because it was basically tasteless, and the noodles were sparse. The presentation was great though- it was served in a fish shaped metal dish over a flame.

Update on 11/2/08 See comments below regarding the Lemon Fertile Calamari. My cousin failed to tell me that there was a sauce that went with this, so to be fair, I will have to re-review this dish in the future.

I didn't get to taste the Chow Mein, and neither did hubby, but the kids liked it. This was eaten before I got to take a photo of it.

The kids also liked the Chicken Macaroni, which I absolutely did not like. This was a sweet dish of penne pasta (not macaroni) mixed with tomatoes, shrimp, and chicken.

The BBQ Chicken Fried Rice was good. The rice was average, but the chicken was nicely done inside and out.

The Lagoon Noodles is a rice noodle dish with shrimp, crab claws, and shitake mushrooms, but I didn't get to taste it. Hubby said it was good, but I take his judgement with a grain of salt because he really has a different sense of taste than I do. Afterall, he liked the Chicken Macaroni.

The Clam Chili Paste was my other favorite. It was spicy, tasty and fragrant with basil.

A lot of young groups frequent this restaurant, but so do a lot of families. There is a sign posted for free karaoke on Friday nights, and a happy hour for cheap drinks. Also advertised is a pool table room, which I didn't see. For me, I'm just happy getting the free refills on the Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee.

Some rumors have been flying around about the relationship between Coconut Bay and Banana Bay, another Thai restaurant further west. All that is important to me is that the food at Coconut Bay is better than that of the other one. Now back to the .5 bit. This would be my 5 month old, R. As my family was getting up to leave, the patient young man who had taken our orders and had served us many times over came over to say bye. At that moment, R used his amazing cheek magnets to lure him over, and it worked because the waiter started asking about him and commenting on how cute and big he was and of course had to pinch them cheeks. I got into a brief conversation with him and found out that he was the brother of the owner here, and I asked him about Banana Bay. All he said was that they used to own Banana Bay but not anymore, and I didn't dare to delve any further.

I'm glad we came back to Coconut Bay because my first visit here gave me a bad impression. I cannot remember what we ordered at that visit besides the Tom Yum Koong, but whatever they were were not the right dishes to order, and I guess being a measly party of four placed us in a booth and at the mercy of the younger waitstaff that was not as adept as that of the night we went with the larger party. I also know there are authentic Thai behind the scenes here because when hubby, who himself is part Thai, called on the phone to order for catering last week (which we ended cancelling), he could hear the conversation on the other end of the phone was in Thai. I do recommend Coconut Bay because of the above average and authentic Thai food. It's great for large groups and late night eaters, but be prepared for loud, long waits for food to arrive, some dishes being pricey and smaller in portion, and iffy service if you're a smaller party during busy hours. I think for me, heading to Krua Thai in West Covina is a better deal as their food tastes better to me, and their portions are larger with prices being cheaper. But it is further for us to drive there.

Coconut Bay Bar and Grill is located at 18922 Gale Ave., Rowland Heights, CA (626) 913-9933

Boston Kitchen

A year or two back when the KFC in the Hong Kong Plaza in Rowland Heights was chased out by what is now Boston Kitchen, I wondered to myself why someone would want to open an American restaurant in a setting surrounded by restaurants serving the likes of stinky tofu and fish ball soup. But it turns out that the only thing Bostonian about Boston Kitchen was its name.

Our family went to eat here on a Friday night, and it was packed. Granted, the restaurant is very small, and it felt small. We were fortunate to arrive just as a booth opened up. As with any Chinese restaurant, the atmosphere here was loud, boistered by the 4 or 5 flat screen TVs hanging from the walls. As soon as we sat down, two friends from church came over to say hi, and we asked them what was good here. They told us pretty much everything was good.

We only ordered two dishes because it was two of us and the kids, and the kids eat like birds. We went simple, starting with the Seafood Chow Mein. This was very flavorful but a bit oily, and when I bit into the shrimp and squid, there was a slightly off taste, kinda like not-so-fresh seafood.

We also ordered the Seafood Rice Porridge, which was very good too, until I bit into the shrimp. Despite the weird taste of the seafood and the mixed reviews, I still think the food here is better than the Garden Cafe in the same plaza.

Hubby also ordered a strawberry slush. Not my kind of stuff, but the kids liked it. Didn't taste natural to me at all.

After eating, we were in a hurry to get to Mervyn's before closing time, but the waiter asked us if we were leaving already. Turns out dessert was coming. This was a bowl of tapioca, taro, and black eyed peas pudding, the yummiest part of the meal and a nice touch.

I would recommend Boston Kitchen for fairly cheap and decent Cantonese food. They are open very late and take credit cards. They also have a second branch in Hacienda Heights.

Boston Kitchen is located at 1700 Batson Ave., Rowland Heights, CA (626) 810-2300

Cherry On Top

I was pretty late getting into the frozen yogurt craze, and I have to admit I didn't like Pinkberry the first time I tried it because I just didn't like the flavor of the plain yogurt. Then hubby saw that a new yogurt place called Cherry On Top opened up in Diamond Bar and was offering locals two for one coupons, so we ventured over there during the dog days of summer. Then I tasted the green tea and the mango yogurt and got addicted.

Cherry On Top is part of a chain, and this one in Diamond Bar always seems to have a steady stream of customers. It's located next to a Ten Ren and a Baskin Robbins in a strip mall. From a mile away, you can see the bright pink decor through the glass windows and upon entering, you hear the loud music and notice the glass cherries dangling from the ceiling. Our boys love it.

And another thing our boys love is to run to the counter, grab a container (usually the biggest one) and then run to the yogurt machines, where they self-serve their own yogurt. They like the strawberry-banana, and in addition to the green tea and mango yogurt, I've taken a liking to the peach. I believe there were 12 different flavors of yogurt to choose from.

An advantage to getting the two for one coupon is that I don't have to taint my exclusively mochi and fruit-topped yogurt with their toppings, which include things like gummy bears, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. But on this trip, it was part of my birthday dinner and cousin was with us, so I had to share with C. So he decided to dump his white chocolate chips all over my yogurt, and he put some strawberry-banana yogurt in there too. Yes I'm a selfish mommy. The point of all this rambling is that you get to self-serve your own toppings too, and their fruit toppings are pretty fresh.

Once you get everything in your container, the staff will weigh it and charge you by the ounce. Always comes out more than what we expect, but we hand over the cash willingly.

Cherry On Top is fun for the kids and yummy to the tummy for all.

This location is at 2761 S Diamond Bar Blvd Diamond Bar, CA (714) 538-5749