Au Fudge

I have wanted to review Au Fudge for two years now and I was finally just able to go because Mom took my sisters and me on a date. Located in LA it is a breath of fresh air when you pull up because the decor is much different from the buildings next to it. On the front patio many tree branches hold up a tree-house for children to access. When you walk in, the first thing you should see is the Marketplace.

Holding a bunch of candy, it was hard for my sisters to resist begging my mom for sweets instead of lunch. I ordered their Crispy Mac&Cheese made from Fontina, White cheddar, and regular cheddar. It was delicious! Panko breadcrumbs sprinkled on top made the cheese a little lumpy but it didn’t bother me too much. JJ had mini burgers, Harley had “The best chicken nuggets ever!”, and Mom had a vegan caesar salad. We all shared Truffle oil-fried, Parmesan-topped french fries which were absolutely delicious! We were so disappointed when the box ran out. After lunch we had fudge that was awesome! It being flavored mint chocolate, milk chocolate, and peanut butter brought my mom back to her childhood. My favorite was milk chocolate, along with my sisters we thought the peanut butter was a little dry.

Au Fudge might be the ultimate hang-out place for parents for numerous reasons, but the best might be that there is a creative space for kids along with a classroom! You can leave your kids with an au pair for a max of 2 hours with a price of $15 dollars while you can go to the cocktail bar uninterrupted by kids. In the Creative Space there is a hidden door and an actual tree-house!

A fun fact about Au Fudge is there is a children’s book based on Au Fudge. If you read it, you can find the hidden door in the creative space! In the dining room there is a unicorn on the wall and he is named Creme Brulee. Also Jessica Biel help fund Au Fudge in its early time, which I think is pretty cool.

If you’re looking for a fun-filled, sweet-tasting destination for your family (or even just yourself), Au Fudge may be just the place — the sweetest treat of all.

*thanks to aufudge.com for the photo

 

 

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Billy Q’s

My Dear Readers, I am SO,SO,SO,SO,SO,SO,SO,SO, sorry I have not posted articles sooner. My mom has been sick since late November and since she helps me write and proofread it was hard to write posts but now she is just about fully recovered from her illness.

2 weeks ago, my family and I went to Palm Desert for a week of “va-cay” and for years we’ve had a tradition of eating pizza our first night and for years we’ve tried to find THE perfect pizza place and this year we found it. The diamond in the rough, Billy Q’s. 5 minutes away from our resort, Marriott’s Shadow Ridge, nestled in a plaza surrounded by the sand of Palm Desert lays this pizza palace.

In 10 to 15 minutes that heavenly pizza comes out of the oven and you can’t wait to put that food in your mouth. The fluffy, cloud-like crust go perfectly with the tasty tomato sauce and the cheese. Oh, the cheese! One of the ways you know you have a good pizza is through the stretchy cheese and, boy, was this cheese stretchy!

Now, Billy Q’s can be considered a family restaurant but the tables are very high and the chairs are bar chairs making high chairs impossible and there is a small selection of alcoholic drinks and TV’s everywhere with sports channels on, however there is no sports bar.

The downside of Billy Q’s is that there is only one restaurant and it’s in Palm Desert. But when I went there Darnelle ( the co-owner) said that she was trying to get one closer to LA. Unfortunately, she did not say when it would “pop-up”.

The service is a solid 7, it’s pretty good, although the 2 times I went there I didn’t see one smile from a waiter and it makes me sad to see that they aren’t enjoying their job they way I’ve seen other waiters enjoy it.

So if you are taking a vacation in Palm Desert and you want pizza, I think you know you MUST go to Billy Q’s.

Paradis

Paradis is the best place to have ice cream, sorbet, and (the gem of summer treats you usually can’t get in California) gelato!!! I have only had it once when had we visited my grandmother who lives in Seattle.

Paradis is a Danish restaurant and opened up in Denmark in 2000. In 2009 (they are new) they came to Cali hoping sales would be a bit better. Boy, were they right in coming here!!!

They said they were going to try to open some more restaurants in good time. Even though they say they’ll open more I’ll be at least 15 by then. I’ll be out of the ice cream stage. Well not fully, but I still won’t like it as much.

But what is great about Paradis is that you can get ice cream to go!!! They have a small package, which can hold 3 scoops of ice cream and is ideal for 2 to 3 people. They have a medium package, which holds 3 scoops but way bigger scoops and is ideal for 4 to 5 people. Then there is the Family package, which holds 4 scoops and is ideal for 6 to 10 people. And last but not least comes the Lovebox where you can get 6 JUMBO size scoops of ice cream. All boxes are insulated. Sounds great to me!!!

Paradis is a paradise because they make their ice cream fresh every morning!!! They use natural ingredients for the ice cream. The sorbets are all vegan and fat free. This might be the most healthy ice cream restaurant in the world.

Paradis changes their flavors every day!! Not once will you get the same flavors two days in a row. Having said that, that means you can’t get your favorite flavors a lot. When I went to the Montrose Paradis with my mom I had the Salted Caramel AND the Strawberry Sorbet. Both were to die for. I tried the S’mores, which is delicious, but mom wouldn’t let me get three scoops. She got the S’mores. So that means I probably won’t be able to get the S’mores until next month.

Montrose is beautiful at night, especially in December. When I went with my mom we walked through the town which was lined in lighted trees. After 6 PM, which is when we went, the parking meter is free!!! Montrose is the best place to shop. They have grocery stores, clothing stores, restaurants, farmers markets, and much more I can’t remember.

Paradis has a website and I wanted to give you the link: http://www.paradis-icecream.com/. Paradis even has games on the outdoor seating area. Mom and I played Jenga. Paradis is the best place to go to have ice cream.

AWESOME 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few days ago I read MSN Money’s report on ” 10 Things Chipotle won’t tell you” found here –

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-things-chipotle-wont-tell-you-2014-11-07

When reading article #5 about how they pay their executives, I had a strong feeling of righteous anger and sympathy for the employees that Mr. Charles Passy wrote about on #6. Feeling injustice for others, I wrote an email to one of the CEO’s of Chipotle, Montgomery Moran.

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Dear Mr. Moran,

My family and I enjoy Chipotle every Sunday. I love the kid’s quesadilla!

I have just read MSN Money’s report on Chipotle. I think it is not just selfish, but unsophisticated as well, that you get $24,000,000 dollars a year and your children’s schooling paid for also, while your employees only get $10 an hour and you sometimes don’t pay them at all. If Chipotle is making $1.08 billion dollars every quarter, I think that is downright unfair that your employees aren’t getting more than the average $10 per hour. I, personally, think you should pay them $25 dollars per hour. I have a blog (www.10yearsoftastebuds.wordpress.com) and I have recently written a post of Chipotle, and since I gave such you a good review, hopefully you will be able to do this one thing for me.

Thank you kindly,

Ellie

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About three days later, he wrote back! Saying this,

Dear Ellie,

First, thanks to you and your family for going to our restaurant each Sunday!   We appreciate your business, and also your interest in Chipotle.

I want you to know that we take great care of our employees.  First, the comment that “you sometimes don’t pay them at all” is simply not true. Did you know that over 90% of our managers start out as crew members?   We are always looking to hire people who are smart, curious, ambitious and enthusiastic about helping us in our restaurants at Chipotle.   When our crew members first join us at Chipotle, they start out at a competitive wage that is higher than minimum wage, but even our newly hired crew enjoy benefits like free Chipotle food when they work, a bonus program and twice annual review of wages to make sure that we are paying them the right amount, and where they usually get a raise.  But the biggest thing that we give to our newly hired crew members is the opportunity to move up and advance at Chipotle, first to a kitchen manager – once they’ve learned what they need to know to make our great food, and then to a service manager – once they’ve learned what they need to know to take great care of our customers, and finally, up to a salaried manager as an apprentice and then general manager.   Lots of people start out as a crew member and become a general manager in under a year (and becoming a general manager means they get paid a lot more, and get even better benefits)!  Our salaried managers get paid competitive salaries and twice annual bonuses.   We even have hundreds of managers who we call Restaurateurs – they are our elite managers who we promote based on their ability to find great crew members to join our teams at Chipotle and promote them to be managers.  And our Restaurateurs get bonuses, stock options and a company car.  Almost all of these Restaurateurs started out as crew, and they make a lot more than $25.00 an hour!

So, what we provide to our crew members is more important than just a starting wage – what we provide is an opportunity to grow with us, to move up, and to have a terrific career.  We have many executives at Chipotle who started out as crew members and who are now leading teams of hundreds or even thousands of people, so the opportunities we give are real!

In terms of what I get paid, my salary is a small fraction (about 1/20th) of that $24,000,000 figure that you read about. The rest of that amount is calculated based on the stock options that are given to me.  If Chipotle grows and is successful and the stock price goes up, for which there is no guarantee, then my stock options, and those of our Restaurateurs and other leaders at Chipotle, will become valuable.  But if the stock price does not go up, then the leaders, including me, don’t make any money from the stock options.   What this means is that if our investors – our shareholders –  make a lot of money, so do our leaders, and if they don’t, then the leaders at Chipotle don’t make any money from these options.

Thanks again for writing to me, and for your loyalty to Chipotle!

Monty Moran

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This is where I freaked out. I got an email from the CEO of Chipotle!!! Who gets to have that happen to them? I’m gonna have to write to Mr. Charles Passy about how he didn’t do a very good job investigating Chipotle. But it’s not over yet. I wrote back to Mr. Moran thanking him for writing to me. Here’s what I said,

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Dear Mr. Moran,

Thank you for responding and telling me more about the truth of Chipotle.  I was very happy when you emailed me back, and I felt better about knowing that you take care of your employees.  I would like to write to Mr. Charles Passy at MSN Money and set him straight!

I’m thankful that Chipotle is a healthy restaurant, and that you take care of the employees who work so hard.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Ellie Scoggins

P.S. I think it’s really cool that you emailed me back.  I told some other people that you emailed me back, and they think it’s cool too.

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And only half an hour later he wrote back. That makes me feel special a whole lot. Here’s what he said,

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You’re very welcome, Ellie!

We really do try very hard to do the right thing.  Nothing makes us happier than watching as our crew people rise into positions of significant leadership, where they are able to succeed while changing the lives of the people around them for the better!

Thank you again for your question.  If you would like to provide me your address, I would be happy to mail you out some coupons for free burritos.

Best wishes to you!

Monty

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I’m not turning down those free burritos any time soon. But now I’m supercalifragilisticexpialidocious happy because now we’ve exchanged several emails and I’ve learned the truth. I just love my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Habit Burger Grill

Habit was founded in Santa Barbara, 1969. Habit is a great restaurant. They are a part of an amazing organization named Share Our Strength which gives kids healthy food and stops hunger all around the world. Just $1 can give a child 10 meals!

The burgers are amazing!!!!!The kids burgers are a bit too big though. Almost the same size as IN-N-OUT’s Double-Double. But I wish that Habit would name the “charburgers” hamburgers instead. I got mixed up the first time I went there.

Habit has a lot of meals to choose from. There are burgers, sandwiches, salads, kids menus, ice cream, and shakes. They have little bit more than IN-N-OUT. Let’s start with the burgers. They are delicious!!! They have combos, BBQ Bacon, Mushroom Swiss, Teiryaki, Santa Barbara style, and the Classic. I love the burgers and how they taste. The bread is never stale or too wet.

The sandwiches are pretty basic. They have Chicken, Chicken Club, Albacore tuna, Veggie sandwich, Tri-Tip, and Pastrami. They all sound so so so so so good!!! I’ve never had one of their sandwiches so I can’t tell how they taste.

The salads are good because it’s all my mom can eat. ( She’s allergic to corn, gluten, and nightshades). They have a Garden Salad, a Chicken Caesar, a Caesar, BBQ Chicken, Grilled Chicken, and a Santa Barbara Cobb. Mom got the Santa Barbara Cobb. There was no leaf left on her plate.

The sides are French Fries, Onion Rings, Caesar Salad, Sweet Potato Fries, and Tempura Green Beans. I think the sides are good with any meal. The Kids Menu has Grilled Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, and the Burger. The Dessert Menu has Shakes, Ice cream cones, malts, and Sundaes.

They even have a FOOD TRUCK!!!! A mobile Habit, finally. This thing is HUGE!!!!! It’s 33 ft. long, 13 ft. high, and only 8 ft. wide. And only 5 crew members. It weighs 26,000 pounds.

The problem is they have don’t many locations at all. Maybe 5 per city, if not less. But that’s the only downside about Habit. All in all, I think you’ll have a habit for Habit!

Blaze Pizza

O.K., so Blaze is basically a pizza Chipotle! It’s a step-by-step restaurant (with a very long line). The way it works is, you get into line, order your chosen pizza, you can personalize it however you want, and they do it all in 180 seconds. So let’s talk about the different steps, and let’s start with the first step: the way they make the pizza.

Step 1. The dough. It is always made from scratch no matter what. They have a gluten-free dough for $2.50 more. And it’s always vegan. I’m allergic to gluten but it didn’t affect my system too much.

Step 2.The sauce. Blaze has three types of sauces. Tomato, hot chili, and pesto sauce. I went for the regular tomato sauce. Hot chili and pesto sauce is not exactly my kind of thing.

Step 3. The cheese. Every single cheese they have is always pasteurized and not usually unhealthy.

Step 4. The toppings. They have a plethora of toppings at Blaze, every thing from the basics to basil! They have lettuce and peppers, diced tomatoes, arugula, chopped garlic, ricotta, and artichokes. You name it!

Step 5. How it all comes together. It’s cooked in 180 seconds! But that means you have to wait about 5 minutes for it to cool or else you’ll get the roof of your mouth burned. My Dad and I learned this the hard way.

But every place has its things to note. 1. If you’re a party person Blaze won’t be your place because they’re not offering catering yet. 2. In the beginning of my blog I said Blaze was like Chipotle. Chipotle has about 300 restaurants in LA. Blaze has about 100. There’s a bit of a difference.

Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you. They always use eco-packaging  for their pizzas. All in all this is a great family restaurant.

For more info, go to blazepizza.com; photo courtesy of blazepizza.com

Chipotle

This is a very healthy restaurant for more than just 3 reasons. 1. There are no synthetic hormones in their pork. 2. The pigs are raised free. 3. The cows are usually organic. 4. Cows are given open pastures with grass. 5. They aren’t given rBGH. 6. The chickens are never given growth hormones. 7. Since they opened their doors, Chipotle has never purchased animals with arsenic. Personally, I don’t like rBGH, arsenic, or any kind of unhealthy hormone in my body.

My favorite dish is the children’s quesadilla and sour cream with 2 sides. I usually choose corn and rice. (Those are optional.) And it comes with chips and a drink.

But there is something to note. The lines are always packed super tight and at lunchtime the wait can be up to 30 minutes or more! And they don’t have a lot of space to handle all those people.

Chipotle and IN-N-OUT have always been competing for best restaurant for me and I can’t decide because there are differences to both places. IN-N-OUT has burgers but it’s not quite as healthy. Chipotle is healthy but they don’t have burgers. IN-N-OUT can sometimes be hard to find in some places but are usually placed in family friendly areas. Chipotle is easy to find but aren’t usually placed in family friendly areas. It ends in a tie again!

Chipotle is throwing a “party” where on Halloween, you go to any Chipotle restaurant (in costume) and you get a $3 burrito with any filling you want! That’s a good deal. Los Angeles has 270 Chipotle restaurants. And that is just in Los Angeles! My dad recommends the burritos and the tacos. My family and I love and enjoy Chipotle and our taste buds do to!

AWESOME!!!!!!!!

O.K. people. A few weeks ago I emailed Bon Appetit to find me Tickle Tree Cafe’s pancake recipe and they responded! Here’s their email –

Hi, Ellie —

I think you might be the youngest reader to request a recipe! I looked on Tickle Tree Cafe’s website, and it appears they have a couple types of pancakes. Do you prefer the buttermilk pancakes or the banana walnut pancakes? Thank you! Julia

THIS………… IS………….EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reason I’m blogging right now is because of them. They inspired me to be a food critic! I might be featured in their magazine! I’m on top of the world right now! I couldn’t be happier even if I won the lottery! 🙂 I have to thank my Mom for 2 reasons. 1. She pays for the subscription. Thanks Mom! 2. She introduced me to Bon Appetit! Being their youngest reader is such an honor. I mean like what 10 year old get’s to do this?

Subway

If you’re on a family road trip and you need a fast food restaurant, come to Subway! I am allergic to bread so I can’t have a lot of their sandwiches but when my family and I come here I get the chicken noodle soup with saltine crackers. It is so yummy! You just have to let it cool down. Their restaurants are usually placed a few miles apart so you can reach one easily. They also serve pizzas in certain places as well. I don’t love Subway as much as other places but it is one of my top 5 restaurants. The service is good because you order it yourself but you have to be precise on what you say. Once my Dad asked for wheat bread but he got white instead. This would be a good road trip restaurant because when my family and I don’t want McDonald’s, we come here. When my sisters hear “sandwich” they think PB&J. Too bad for them cause Subway doesn’t sell that kind of sandwich. Our family enjoys this place and you will too!

DISNEYLAND’S The Golden Horseshoe

If you’re at Disneyland and you’re hungry, head on over to The Golden Horseshoe! The service is great for two reasons. 1. You order it yourself. 2. It comes in …….5 minutes! What’s better than that? You’ll probably be able to catch a show which happens once every hour. It’s a two-story restaurant with reserved booths. But it does have its downs. The menus for the kids and adults are short. The kids only have two meals to choose from and the adults only have four meals. The shows are SUPER funny and they will pull you out of the audience occasionally! The Golden Horseshoe is located in Frontierland across from Pirates Island. The last time my dad and I went I had the chicken fingers with fries and it was filling and delicious. During that time we watched a Romeo and Juliet parody. It was hilarious! The reason we go there so much is because it’s so close to our favorite ride, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! IT’S SO FUN!!!!!!! This is a great place to eat and to enjoy!

*photo courtesy of http://www.disneyland.com*