Where to Eat

If you're looking for ideas where to take the family for lunch or dinner, here are some family-friendly places I have tried.

Albertsons New Savings Tool “Just for U” Digital Offers!

If you are always looking for ways to save money like I do, ALBERTSONS just rolled out a new savings tool in Southern California on their mobile app on July 19th – “just for U”! I put it to the test this weekend, and I must say – it sure brought me back to my coupon clipping days only this is much easier. I didn’t need scissors, I didn’t have to buy the Sunday paper for coupons, nor did I need to spend time sorting them all. It is built right into the app, and you save a little bit more on top of the sale prices. I can browse and load the digital offers right before I shop or I can do it during my shopping trip.

85C Bakery Cafe Opens 1000th Location!

85 °C Bakery Cafe, an Asian-Euro fusion bakery, has 15 locations in the Los Angeles and Orange County area with their newest local location in Koreatown, and their 1,000th global location in Houston! Their name comes from the perfect temperature to brew coffee 85C (185F). Originating from Taiwan in 2003, their first US store is located right here in OC – Irvine (2008). I remember a time when they had long lines out the door like you would see at popular nightclubs. It was astonishing, and it was like that all the time. They always have at least 60 baked bread items and 60 types of pastries available throughout the day TIP: Always ask if they have a fresh batch of your favorite bread, some times they don’t fill the shelves fast enough and they will always give it to you if they have it. All their breads is baked fresh in house every 4 hours all day. Their top selling items include brioche, marble taro, iced sea salt coffee, and mango crème brûlée. They have over 40 drink options and variations. You can also get any drink with boba. I, for one, just love their Sea Salt Coffee (Americano coffee, sea salt, and sweet cream), and I get it with “less sugar.” Hint: You can get 85 cents Iced Sea Salt Coffee on Coffee Mondays.

Philly’s Best Cheesesteaks’ New BBQ Twist + Giveaway!

Southern California’s destination for authentic Philly Cheesesteaks and Hoagies, Philly’s Best Cheesesteaks, is celebrating summer with their new BBQ menu featuring four items smothered in smoky-sweet BBQ sauce! It’s available through the end of August at all 21 Philly’s Best locations across the Southland! PLUS there’s a contest right now for tickets to an Angels vs. Phillies game but you have to enter by July 26th. Get the details below!

  • BBQ Cheesesteak – Thinly sliced steak tossed in smoky BBQ sauce with melted white American cheese on an authentic Amoroso roll. Available with or without grilled onions.
  • BBQ Chicken & Cheese – Thinly sliced chicken tossed in smoky BBQ sauce with melted white American cheese on an authentic Amoroso roll. Available with or without grilled onions.
  • BBQ Burger – Juicy all-beef patty topped with white American cheese, crispy golden onion rings and smoky BBQ sauce on an authentic Amoroso Kaiser roll.
  • BBQ Salad – Thinly sliced chicken or steak tossed in smoky BBQ sauce with melted white American cheese, crispy fried onion strings and sliced tomatoes atop a bed of fresh lettuce and served with ranch dressing

Medieval Times Buena Park Castle New Educational Student Matinee Show

Last month my family and I were invited to experience the new educational student matinee show at Medieval Times’ Buena Park Castle. Besides stating the obvious that it is an early show for children, the show focuses on real situations that our youth may face today like bullying, victims of gossip, and being unkind – just doing things that may hurt others. The first 20-minutes of the show include storylines that introduces “The Code of Chivalry” which are a set of rules established thousands of years ago to govern the conduct of the noble class to establish fairness, respect, compassion and understanding. Here are some of the scenarios:

  • Looking down on the poor instead of offering assistance and compassion.
  • Treating others differently or making fun of them, because they looked or dress differently.
  • Gossiping, saying unkind things, or spreading false rumors when we weren’t their to witness it for ourselves.

“The Code of Chivalry teaches us to protect the weak, be loyal to our friends, and fight wrong when we encounter it.” – The King, Medieval Times

Easy Healthier Ricotta & Neufchatel Summer Parfait Recipe + Enter the #SoGoodTogetherContest!

Cheesecake is a summer classic dessert that we all love. If you are looking for a lighter version alternative, try making it with ricotta and Neufchatel. Neufchatel is a creamy white cheese made from whole or partly skimmed milk in Neufchâtel, France. I found everything I needed to make this recipe at Smart & Final Extra! This dessert is super easy to make. It’s light, has low carbs, and gluten-free.