Category Archives: California

Best Italian Food Outside of Italy: Aldolino’s in Azusa, California

Aldolino‘s was recommended to me by my mom’s hair stylist. As a lover of Italian cuisine I couldn’t wait to give it a try. Thank goodness I did. It was truly the best Italian food I’ve had outside of Italy! And now one of my favorite restaurants ever.

As we pulled up I tried not to pass judgment based on the exterior — an unassuming location, in a fairly old shopping center, with a Mexican grocery store as a neighbor. In fact, it has served up Italian food in this location for nearly 60 years, including back when Arrow Hwy was still a dirt road.

Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.comAs I entered I quickly observed how clean and charming the interior was.

Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.com

Gabriel, our server (who also happens to be the owner), was a beaming ray of sunshine. He could easily pass as an Italian — handsome, charismatic, and with a genuine desire to serve up the best Italian food you’ve ever had. He and his brother Jesus (the chef) love to cook. They each have an impressive resume with collective experience in nearly a dozen high-end restaurants around the Los Angeles area — establishments like Il Fornaio, Palm Restaurant, Arroyo Chop House, Twin Palms, etc.

Owners at Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.com

The menu displays a photo of the original owner, Aldolino Formica, whose own charisma helped land him on TV shows like I Love Lucy (with Lucille Ball below) and the Ed Sullivan Show, among others.
Menu at Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.com

Inside the menu you can find a diverse variety of reasonably priced and delicious Italian dishes, including recipes that have been passed down from the days of Aldolino himself.Menu at Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.com

This particular visit I ordered the Venezia Insalata. My other favorite dish to order is the Pasta Della Casa. Unfortunately for you, the salad looked so irresistible that, well, it was gone before I could remember to take a picture.

Below is the dish my dad ordered, Rigatoni Al Forno. If you like Italian sausage you truly can’t beat the incredible version served up at Aldolino’s.

Fun fact: All of the sauces here are made fresh, from scratch and by taste.

Rigatoni Al Forno at Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.com

One of my other favorite dishes (I know, there are so many!) is the Ravioli di Vitello — a beef raviolo in a mushroom herb creme sauce drizzled with white truffle oil. This stuff is to die for. The bread at Aldo’s (which is utterly amazing also, do you see a theme here?) goes perfectly with the mushroom sauce. I could literally order a bowl of the sauce and eat it with a bowl of the bread. Can’t believe I just admitted that, but it’s true!

Ravioli Di Vitello at Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.com

And if all of this weren’t enough to convince you that you NEED to try this place… just scroll down a bit to see the apple dessert with homemade cinnamon ice cream.

Fun fact: All of the desserts are made on-site by Gabriel himself.

Apple Dessert with Cinnamon Ice Cream at Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.comEnough said.

Apple Dessert with Cinnamon Ice Cream at Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.com Is it just me or do those pictures make you want to lick the screen?

Aldolino's Italian Food Restaurant in Azusa, California via ZaagiTravel.comAldolino’s truly deserves all the praise in the world. I wish them many more years of success (I simply never want to stop coming here)!

Aldolino’s Italian Restaurant is located at 659 E Arrow Hwy, Azusa, California 91702.

Have you ever been to Aldolino’s? What’s your favorite dish?

Kogi Food Truck: Korean BBQ in Los Angeles

IMG_5839The Kogi Korean BBQ food truck is one of the most famous food trucks in the country. It has been serving up tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sliders, burgers, chocolate tres leches (and more!) since 2008.

Kogi BBQ menu via ZaagiTravel.com

The co-founder/chef (and self-proclaimed milk-shake connoisseur) Roy Choi was born in Seoul, Korea. Choi was recognized for his seriously awesome food truck skills when he was voted Best New Chef in Food & Wine Magazine’s 2010 contest.

Kogi BBQ has also been featured in a multitude of other publications including TIME magazine, Sunset magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter and LA Weekly.

Last week I learned that one of the four trucks comes to Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday evenings from 6-9pm.

So I decided to go and see what all the fuss was about.

Kogi Food Truck via ZaagiTravel.com

I went. I waited. I ordered. I devoured.

Verdict: Kogi BBQ was one of the best decisions I made all week.

Kogi food truck tacos via ZaagiTravel.com
My dad hand modeling a short rib taco.

I recommend the tacos (short rib, spicy pork, chicken, and tofu) for $2.29 each and the Kogi sliders for $6.00 which you can eat by themselves — or add a taco and drink to create a combo for $9!

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The Kogi website describes the sliders as “short rib, sesame mayo, cheese, salsa roja, and a cabbage-romaine slaw tossed in a chili-soy vinaigrette on toasted buns”. You can also swap the short rib for another meat if you’d like.

Kogi BBQ Sliders via ZaagiTravel.com

Kogi BBQ Sliders via ZaagiTravel.com

I don’t know about you but my mouth is watering just looking at these photos. Is it Thursday yet?

TIP: the Kogi truck is known to run a bit late (at least to the Cal Poly Pomona location). Aim to arrive around 6:30 instead of 6:00.

ANOTHER TIP: The truck can be difficult for first-timers to find. When it comes to Cal Poly Pomona it parks near the Valley Blvd & Temple Ave intersection. Head towards the mobile home park on the west side of Valley Blvd.

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And thanks to Josue for the service with a smile!

Swells & Surfboards: The 2013 US Open of Surfing

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Huntington Beach is where I learned to surf. It’s where I realized I was in love for the first time. It’s where I met Arnold Schwarzenegger – for the second time. No, I was not in love with Arnold. Actually this guy’s last name was even harder to pronounce, so I won’t put you through that…

Huntington Beach holds a special place in my heart. I’m excited to share the first of many posts about it with you.

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Shameless selfie time! Okay, moving on…

So a few weeks ago we pulled into the garage of my aunt and uncle’s house located less than three blocks from the Huntington Beach pier. My mom, my dad and I had brought along our dogs Kona and Beau for a stay in one of the greatest surfing destinations in the world (Huntington Beach isn’t called Surf City USA for no reason)!

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We spent the evening resting up in preparation for the monstrous surfing documenting we would be doing early the next morning.

You better wake up early if you want to eat breakfast at the Sugar Shack before it begins to get crowded.

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This place is famous. So famous in fact that our adorable server, Summer, is often recognized in other parts of the country when she’s working as a flight attendant – her other job.
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The Sugar Shack is a 3rd generation family owned business. It’s a Southern California style “mom and pop” hole-in-the-wall breakfast joint. The inside is covered with decade’s worth of photos of legendary surfers, many of them studded with autographs. A waiting list for the outside tables hangs out front under the forest green awning.

TIP: If there’s an available table inside, feel free to grab it! And you better do it quick!

ANOTHER TIP: My favorite things on the menu… If you want to feel like a true local you gotta try the Main Street Burrito which is stuffed with avocado, mushrooms, onions, sprouts and cheese. If you’re aiming for a quick bite you can’t beat the Wake Up & Shine – 2 poached eggs on toast. If you’re aiming to eat healthy I recommend Michele’s Special – grilled chicken breast, three egg whites, bell peppers and tomatoes. And if healthy eating isn’t a priority add a hot cinnamon roll to your order. You won’t regret it!

And pancakes are always a good idea!
And pancakes are always a good idea!

Main Street and the surrounding area have an impressive selection of delicious things to be consumed – everything from açai bowls to poke bowls to the best burger in Southern California. I’ll cover my favorites in detail in a post focusing on Huntington Beach as a vacation destination sometime in the next few weeks.

Okay… onto the surfing!

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The misty morning began with the horn that announces the beginning of the heat, signaling the surfers to paddle into the line up and start scoping out the incoming swells.

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As we made our way further down the pier the cool, salty ocean air filled our lungs. The breeze out on the pier was just heavy enough to need a sweater and even though it was only 8am and completely overcast I was glad to have sunglasses.

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My dad and I arrived early enough to grab a key spot huddled up next to the professional photographers. Our pictures aren’t in the same league as theirs but they treated us as one of their own – all of us reminiscing about past U.S. Open of Surfing experiences and our predictions for this years events.

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The first surfer that caught our attention was Conner Coffin, last year’s (and spoiler alert this year’s also!) Junior Pro champion from Santa Barbara, California. It turns out Conner has a blog, which you can check out here.

My family followed Conner’s progress throughout the U.S. Open and we were ecstatic to watch him take home the Junior Pro title for a second year in a row the following weekend.

Here are some shots of random surfers we observed from the pier over the next few days.

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Have you visited Huntington Beach? If so, what are your own personal highlights?

Have you ever tried surfing? Would you?