Portillo's Hot Dogs

Portillo's Hot Dogs
12840 Day Street
Moreno Valley, CA - Not technically Riverside but pretty close
Website here. Apparently it's a chain.

Consumed 10/2/10

I know I haven't updated in FOREVER, but things have just been crazy. It's not that I don't have time; I just don't feel like making the time to update. I hate when people make excuses about not having time. If it's important enough, you'll do it. I figured no one would suffer if I didn't post about my food for awhile. :D

Anyway, I've been to Portillo's twice now, once with my parents, brother, and uncle and aunt when they were helping me move into Riverside and a second time with my boyfriend, Blake. The first time I wasn't a huge fan of the salad my mom and I shared, but I did like the hot dog, so I was determined to go back and try non-salad menu items, which is exactly what I did. The place is kinda wacky with random things on the walls and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. You can order salads, hot dogs, interesting desserts like chocolate cake milkshakes, etc. It kinda reminds me of a Fuddruckers. Here's what Blake and I ate (YUMM!!! I'd get both again) a few weeks ago (Blake got a chili dog and I got their polish without mustard):

Molly Moon's Ice Cream

Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream - where there's always a line out the door!
917 E Pine St (another location at 1622 N. 45th Street & A TRUCK!!!)
Seattle, WA 98122
Website here.

Consumed in August of 2010.


Joy The Baker has had a big influence on my life lately. I think I found her blog while writing my paper on food blogs for Anthropology of Food (one of the best possible classes ever!!). I love her attitude, her humor, her photography, and her FOOD!! Well, the recipes I've tried from her site have been pretty awesome (like her kettle corn, which I actually JUST made for the 10th time a few minutes ago). Anyway, a few days before my family trip to Seattle, she posted about an ice cream place in Seattle! Perfect timing! So I tracked it down and dragged my parent and brother there, and here are my pictures! To be honest, I was not a fan of the salted caramel ice cream (pictured on the right), which was a big let-down because people kept talking about how good it was. Sure, I get the whole sweet-and-salty fad we're in right now (among food bloggers, at least), and I LOVE it, but this ice cream was just toooo salty. If it had been a little sweeter, it woulda been money. Where did that come from? Who says that? At least that "vivace coffee" one was good. Like really good.


Here are more of their crazy flavors. Here were the season and always flavors of that particular day:

A White Pomegranite!

Jenny grows these and gave me some to try for the first time. She said she likes these better than regular pomegranites, but as much as I do like these white ones, I still like the red ones better. The white has a more subtle, less tart and more sweet (but in a soft way) flavor. Will take a picture of the outside next time.

Casey's Cupcakes' Red Velvet Cupcake

Casey's Cupcakes
3649 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA
Website here. Flavors here.

9.16.10

*edit* I went back and re-tried this (3/20/12), and it's better now!The frosting was clearly made with cream cheese. Yay. I approve...BUT I'm convinced that the best red velvet cupcake in the world is from Chiffono's in Fresno, CA. Seriously.

Today Chris and Michelle decided to take me to Mission Inn, a pretty famous (a few presidents have stayed there, and President Nixon got married there), beautiful hotel in Downtown Riverside. Right next to the hotel, we found a cute little cupcake place. We split a regular red velvet cupcake (they have a gluten-free one too), which was moist and yummy on the inside, but it didn't have cream cheese frosting! Whaaat?? :o( Oh well. At least the cake part was really good. Don't get me wrong--the frosting isn't bad; I just get so sad when the frosting doesn't taste like cream cheese. And yes, I am aware that the original red velvet cake did NOT have cream cheese frosting. It had THIS frosting, which I made with my mom on July 3rd, 2011 for a 4th of July lunch.



They had a bunch of different kinds of cupcakes, including a Spock one that Michelle pointed out:

Here's the inside of the "Rockin' Red Velvet" (Sorry you can't see the inside very well):