All posts tagged: food

S&M SAUSAGE & MEAT | SAN DIEGO

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Hi guys!!! I took a day trip to San Diego to visit my cousin Scott Slater’s new restaurant, S&M Sausage & Meat. The food was eclectic, innovate and delicious. I was in foodie heaven, for real. I have to say, every dish was amazing but my favorites were the white chocolate bacon, the “Coconut Not Mac N’ Cheese”, the Kangaroo Sausage and the “S&M PBJ”. Oh, and I can’t forget the Pig Ears! I also tried the Rabbit Poutine, Venison Meatballs, Alligator Sausage, Rosemary Bacon, & The Bacon Fat Deviled Eggs which were all delicious and very well-executed. The menu is quirky, experimental and incredibly unique, and I was so impressed with the taste and flavors of everything I tried. I’m so proud of my cousin… well done Scottie! If you are in San Diego, S&M Sausage & Meat is a must try. Take a look at the video of my S&M experience below!

BESTIA | DTLA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I finally had the chance to eat at Bestia in Downtown LA. I’ve heard so much about this place from other foodies and seen a lot of write ups about it online, so I was really excited to finally have dinner there the other night. Everything was good, but one thing we ordered was exceptional. If you go to Bestia, you must try the Roasted Bone Marrow. It is served on top of Spinach gnocchetti, crispy breadcrumbs with aged balsamic. You scoop the marrow off the bone and mix it into the Spinach gnocchetti and it’s just off the charts…the flavor and texture together make the perfect dish . The flavor in each dish really takes this place to the next level. You could really distinguish all the different ingredients and spices everything we ordered. The menu is very unique and the presentations are innovative and creative as well. I have to head back to try their different pizzas, I heard they’re amazing. Other things we ordered: Burrata Salad, Mussels & Clams (spicy!), Cavatelli alla Norcina, Spaghetti Rustichella & the coffee & donuts for dessert.

BORACAY | PHILLIPPINES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Boracay is the fun party island of the Philippines and it is absolutely beautiful. Boracay is where I swam as a mermaid. I also tried BALUT which is a common food in Southeast Asia. Balut is a developing duck embryo boiled alive and eaten from the shell of the egg. It’s supposed to be a good source of protein. I was absolutely terrified to try it but I had a small taste and it wasn’t so bad. I also tried chicken intestines on a stick from a cart on the beach which I actually enjoyed. Take a look at some of my favorite moments from my time in Boracay (including a video of me fire dancing in the rain!). Also, if you haven’t seen me swim as a mermaid, check it out here!

RICO’S LECHON | CEBU, PHILIPPINES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Fresh out the ocean after swimming with whale sharks, I changed in the car and went straight to Rico’s, a famous place where they are known for having the best “Lechon” on the island of Cebu. Lechon is roasted pig and is a popular food in the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and in Latin America & Spain. Lechon is a national dish of the Philippines and in fact, Anthony Bourdain claimed Cebu as having the best pig in the world. My friend and I went to Rico’s to try their spicy Lechon. It was phenomenal. I love anything spicy, so this lechon tasted extra delicious. If you are ever in Cebu or anywhere in the Philippines, you have to try Lechon and Rico’s is a very well known place for it. It was a hole in the wall but packed with a line out the door. They were chopping up the pork so quickly, things were messy in there as you can see from my pictures. That’s my favorite kind of food…messy and delicious. …

LAKE NATRON, TANZANIA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

From Dar Salaam, our group traveled to an area near Lake Natron. This was my favorite part of the trip- it was by far one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. It was through Kilombero North Safaris, and we stayed in a camping/hunting lodge for a couple days with a group of professional hunters. We got to practice shooting at an open air range with a master firearms instructor, and learned how to shoot different kinds of rifles. Akram, who runs Kilombero North Safaris and owns the lodge we stayed at (and many other hunting lodges throughout Tanzania), stayed with us along with some of his family. They were amazing people and by the end of our stay, we felt like one big family. One of the days we visited a primary school of over 700 Masaai children, and we gave them bags of school supplies, clothing, and food. They held a naming ceremony where they gave each of us Masaai names, dressed us in traditional Masaai clothing, and sang for us. They …

PORTLAND, OREGON

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Portland is such a cute city! I spent a weekend in Portland recently and had so much fun exploring. Of course I ate my way through the city because that’s what I do, but not only does the city have great food, downtown Portland has so much character and I really loved the vibe. I will highlight a few of the yummy places I visited. The food truck scene in Portland is crazy! There are food carts everywhere throughout the city and the food is really good. I was surprised how many Middle Eastern food carts there were serving Shawarma, Gyros, etc. I ended up eating a great Philly Cheeseteak out of one of them. The owner of the truck was from Philly so he knew what he was doing. See below! MOTHER’S BISTRO & BAR My crew and I had brunch at Mother’s Bistro. It is a popular brunch spot in the city and there is usually a wait on the weekends. We put our name down and walked around the area for …

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I recently explored the city of Austin , Texas… and by explore I mean eat my way through the city lol. Austin is an outdoor city. People who live there are pretty active- many people jog around Lady Bird Lake, Kayak, hike, etc. When I went the weather wasn’t great so didn’t really do any of that, and instead I just ate. Typical. But Austin is a great food city so I can’t complain 🙂 I wanted to share some of my favorite things I ate and did on my trip. See below! EXPLORING AROUND LADY BIRD LAKE… TORCHY’S TACOS! I was recommended to go to Torchy’s Tacos. Austin has so many great food trucks around the city. I think I ate out of a truck most of the weekend. Torchy’s Tacos was really good. I stayed at the W Hotel located in Downtown Austin, but I couldn’t walk to Torchy’s Tacos I had to cab it. It’s on a little dirt lot with a couple other food trucks off of a main road. There …

KILAUEA FISH MARKET- KAUAI, HAWAII

Published by Nicole Isaacs

A couple years ago I was in bed watching Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate”. Marc Summers visited the Kilauea Fish Market in Kauai, and the best thing he ever ate was the Ahi Tuna Wrap from there. I remember watching and thinking to myself, ” I have to go there” and right away wrote it down on my food bucket list. Sure enough, I ended up visiting Kauai recently and made it my top priority. You would think enjoying the beautiful scenery of Kauai would be first on my list of things to do, but food is always the first thing on my mind lol. Let me just say, I can see why Marc said this was the best thing he ever ate. It was about a 15-20 minute cab ride from our hotel (The St. Regis Princeville), and I had to go twice it was so good. It’s literally a shack in the small town of Kilauea, located on a desolate lot with roosters and chickens running around everywhere. There …

SHAKE SHACK, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

A perfect day to me in NYC during the summer is laying out at the Gansevoort hotel rooftop pool and going to Shake Shack at Madison Square Park for an early dinner with my girlfriends lol. Shake Shack is like LA’s In ‘N Out burger lol. In ‘N’ Out is probably the most famous “cheap” burger on the west coast, and Shake Shack is also a fast food burger chain in New York City that everyone loves. Shake Shack has more options than In’ N’ Out as far as burgers/toppings, fries and milkshakes, but the menu is fairly simple too. There is always a long line for Shake Shack so be prepared to wait! SINGLE SHACK BURGER W/ BACON, THE SMOKE SHACK, & CHEESE FRIES The burgers were great. I do like In ‘N’ Out better though.West Coast baby! Jk lol. But I would totally go back to Shake Shack for a cheap, good tasting burger. It was juicy, cheesy and had great flavor. The cheese fries were yummy and the custard we ordered …