Food Reviews
Hidden Treasure At Belgium Waffle Haus
Hidden Treasures Found At Waffle Haus
Most people hear of a waffle house and think of a breakfast place. Maybe brunch. We found this hidden treasure in Granda Hills to have speciality coffees, breakfast items and much, much more. Not only is breakfast available but The Waffle Haus is open until 9pm most nights, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts all day long. We got to try two drinks and four meal items off of the menu and fell in love with this little eatery. No wonder people are begging them to expand. The hours are great and prices reasonable. I can definitely see this house as a place being packed morning until evening with people going there for food and to hang out with friends. Also a great place for tutoring or doing homework. They have comfortable seating and free Wifi.
They have two different styles of food items. Savory- which is more sandwich-type ingredients on top of a waffle and Sweet- which is more fruits, whipped cream, dessert-y type meals, also on top of a waffle. This is the Belgium Waffle Haus, right? So everything is on a waffle. All waffles are made Eurpoean-style with Pearl Sugar and are a delicious mix of being fluffy and light with a crystallized crunch of sugar inside.
The Waffle Sandwich
Can be ordered Open Face or Sandwich Style (another waffle on top). This one is a waffle topped with black forest ham, Swiss American cheese, avocado, red onion, tomato, spring mix, vinaigrete dressing, dijon mustard and mayonnaise.
Strawberry Mojito (non-alcoholic).
My daughter drank this and loved it. A nice treat for an non-coffee drink. THey also had Lime Mojito and homemade Lemonade plus lots of lattes, teas and coffees.
The Banana Split Waffle
This is a summer delight. A great dessert dish. It has 2 scoops of ice cream (choice of vanilla or chocolate), chocolate, powdered sugar, bananas, oreo cookies, whipped cream and strawberries on top of a waffle. I love how pretty the dish is too.
Tea Time
I’m not a coffee drinker but tried a Chai Latte that had a fantastic cinnamon flavor and a beautiful heart pattern on the top.
The tea came in a large cup with a saucer and was perfect without adding anything else to it.
The Custard and Berry Waffle
House Made European custard, seasonal berries, kiwi and powdered sugar. My daughter does not like custard or pudding much but this dish made her change her mind and realize she does like it, as long as it is high quality and full of flavor.
Up close photo to show details.
The Smoke Salmon
This dish I saw on their website and was dying to try. I loved smoked salmon (or we call it lox) and to have it as a meal sounded great. I spread out the mixed greens and the salmon across the waffle more and ate it, cut up with a knife, like a fish salad on a waffle. I thought the waffle with the fish might be weird but it was genuinely delicious and I’ll want to order this dish again.
It comes with smoked salmon, spring mix, vinaigrette dressing, cucumber, red onion and dill sour cream.
My daughter enjoying the custard dish.
Outside the Belgium Waffle Haus the parking lot is full of cars.
Inside there is a steady flow of customers. Some ordering to go and some dining in. One was a repeat customer from a few hours earlier. She’d picked up an order for someone else and decided to come back and order something for herself.
The corner by the door has nice cushy chairs and a couch with a coffee table. Great for school work while dining.
With so much on the menu to choose from it is hard to pick just one dish. All depends on the time of day too. They also have speciality coffees from all over the world.
Current store hours are:
Monday to Friday 8am-9pm
Saturday 8am-9pm
Sunday 8am-5pm
May 28th they are also have a Latte Art Competition with free waffles and more for those that attend. You can also check out their ‘happy hour’ for 50% off selected items.
Aquarium of the Pacific #UrbanOceans Harbor Cruise
Aquarium of the Pacific Harbor Cruise
I took my kids on a harbor cruise with the Aquarium of the Pacific last week. They had a celebrity chef there discussing Urban oceans and the right fish we should be buying that is caught locally. He made two delicious dishes that we got to try out too. It was a beautiful sunny day with a gently breeze and we toured the harbor and had a blast. We cruised around, went under a few bridges and even went past the Queen Mary. There was an art showcase with pictures of an upcoming Recycle Fashion Show and some photo and painted art for us to see as well. The whole trip was about 2 hours long and we all had a blast.
Baja Aqua Chile
It has rockfish, cucumber and other ingredients inside and a seasoned tortilla chip sticking out the top.
One of the bridges we went under
Selfie with the wake of the boat behind us
Some Sea Lions sunbathing on the rocks near a kelpbed
Some of the ingredients for the soup and appetizer 
The weather was perfect and it was a enjoyable, educational, relaxing day. We talked about an upcoming eco-fashion show, art, and had a sustainable seafood demo.
Much Love
Caribbean Seafood Stew
This was delicious and I had seconds. Definitely the best soup I have ever had. Love the chili in it for a little kick too.
Hard Rock Cafe’s New Roxtars Menu
Disclaimer:One or more products below were provided for free. However the review is my honest opinion. This post may include affiliate links
Hard Rock Cafe New Roxtars Menu
I love the Hard Rock Cafe. The atmosphere, the collections they have, the way they help all over the world and, their food! Right now they have a fabulous new children’s menu bringing a healthier side to all time favorites and some new items. Teaming up with Kids LiveWell National Restaurant Association they have created a menu that meets nutritional criteria and isn’t overloaded with carbs or calories.
The menu is geared for ages 10 and under and includes a drink.
Some Kids LiveWell meal choices are:
- Skiddley’s Not-So-Diddly Chicken Breast.
- Twisted ‘N Tasty Cavatappi Pasta.
- Kid’s Salad Chillin’ With Chicken.
Some headliners are:
- Buddy Jr’s Bangin’ Burger with Cheese.
- Ain’t Nothin’ But A Hot Dog.
- Razzi’s Redonkulous Chicken Tenders
(Yes, I love how creative these names are). - The Mac-Daddy Mac & Cheese.
- Sir Kingston’s Classic Cheese Pizza.
- Styler’s Off-The-Hook Fish Sticks.
Side dishes like fresh fruit, seasonal veggies, fries and mashed potatoes are available to choose from. I love that as I walked around the restaurant I saw children with the awesome guitar-shaped plates and were consuming the broccoli, salad, fresh fruit and more with zeal. I asked our server if the new children’s menu was popular and she told me the parents loved it and the children did too.
Love All Serve All
Love All Serve All is a a coined phrase from Hard Rock since day one. They also have some other famous phrases, including Do Well by Doing Good. They have philanthropic causes all over the world from global to aid in the entertainment industry to humanitarian topics. I love that around the globe they are helping others.
Collectable memorabilia is on all walls of the Hard Rock with photos and background stories.
Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood pins are collected from fans all over the world. While we were there we were allowed to peek in a back room to see a group of pin collectors meeting and trading with each other. Their collection books were ginormous!
Back at our table drinks have arrived and the boys were loving the tv at our table with rock videos playing.
We ordered nachos as an appetizer and the serving was awesome! Enough for everyone with some extra left over.
I try to eat a salad with every lunch and dinner and loved this one with fresh cheese and greens.
Can anyone guess who this artist is? His pants are in the diorama of the frame.
My food is here! I ordered the shrimp and fries. I could eat this all day long. Definitely a ‘order this every time I’m here’ dish.
The children’s Roxtars Menu is awesome!
Cheeseburger with broccoli. The broccoli was lightly steamed so was soft but very flavorful (yes, I tried it). 
The guitar-shaped plate has two square compartments to put condiments in.
Bill ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries and Coleslaw.
We got there at 10am and about an hour later they were packed with a line at the door. Lots of families dining here and enjoying the restaurant.
We went to the gift shop and Bill picked out a pin. He has some from a few different Hard Rock locations and will be adding this one to his collection.
They had a large variety of t-shirts in men, women and children designs as well as stuffed animals and other memorabilia. 
I love how we were able to see the Hollywood Sign from outside of the building. A site that never gets old.
Great Dine in or Take Out at Prova Pizzeria
Disclaimer:One or more products below were provided for free. However the review is my honest opinion. This post may include affiliate links.
Prova Pizzeria Brings Authentic Italian Food To L.A.
When I think of authentic Italian food what comes to mind is pizza with basil, oregano, lots of meat and cheese. Dining at Porva Pizzeria was the real-deal. Age old Italian recipes handed down for generations and brought to Los Angles by Chef Vito Iacopelli. Prova Pizzeria is centrally located on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood. Piping hot food that is made after you order it with all sorts of choices of meats, cheeses and vegetables. A fabulous place to dine on wood oven pizzas, salads, meatball and more.
I brought my daughter with me and we chose a few items from the menu. The restaurant is newly open and has community tables and individual seating, perfect for a date night or to bring a group of friends.
The Carciofi salad was first. The portion size was average for a salad. It had baby wild arugula, artichokes, quinoa, pine nuts and grana cheese. I try to have a salad with every dinner I eat and have to say this one was terrific. Definitely worth ordering second helpings of. The greens were fresh and the pine nuts added a delightful texture to the salad.
My daughter ordered the Regina Pizza from the Pizze Bianche selection (no tomato) with sausage added on. I had to try it, of course, and it is definitely a ‘must try’ on their menu. The sausage was my favorite part. It was sweet with a soft herb flavoring.
Regina Pizza
The Pizza was piled on with cheese, meat and mushrooms and sweet basil.
I ordered a calzone. I normally order pizza from a pizzeria, just because I like pizza so much, but I saw their selection and decided I wanted to venture out and try something different. This is definitely something I’d order again or order two, one to have as a ‘later in the week’ meal. The ginormous amounts of cheese inside mixed with sausage and herbs made the whole meal a tastebud heaven.
For dessert they have gelato in a few flavors, Nutella Pizza and some sweet bread rolls I’d never heard of. The pistachio gelato has real pistachios they have shipped over from Italy. All gelatos are made in the store and taste light and fresh.
This is the ice cream sandwich, Italian style. Sweet rolls, called Brioche, are cut in half and gelato is put in the middle. This ice cream sandwich has pistachio, vanilla and strawberry (with freshly sliced strawberries mixed in).
I ordered a mix of the cappuccino and pistachio. Both were sweet and flavorful but I like the pistachio the best. It even has a bit of texture of the real pistachio nuts in the mix making the consistency a little unique.
Healthy Food Eating Out @SharkysSocial
Disclaimer:One or more products below were provided for free. However the review is my honest opinion. This post may include affiliate links.
Healthy Food Eating Out
Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill has two things I like while eating out with friends. Healthy food and fast service. We don’t always have time to have a long lunch but it is great that we can find a little time together for a quick bite. Combining it with healthy, organic and natural food is a definite plus. When I go to Sharkey’s I normally order the fish tacos for myself and the chicken quesadillas for the kids. This time I saw I decided to order the nachos. They looked good and just what I was craving. My best friend order the same thing when she saw mine. It looked like such a masterpiece it was hard to eat it. But eat it I did. It was delicious down to the last bean. I added some salsa from the salsa bar and was in heaven.
Sharky’s is a California-based chain of 21 restaurants in the L.A. and Ventura County areas that started 22 years ago.
If you want good food that you can get without a long wait check them out.
1/2 Order of Steak Nachos
