Fulfilled.

Fuji Sunrise.

Pleasure Palate posted an excellent write-up on the new Beverly Hills opening of Fulfilled, a bakery that sells Imagawa-yaki, or Japanese pastries. A traditional "ima" has a pancake-like exterior and is filled with sweet Azuki red bean (Azuki is also perfect in pat bing soo, or Korean shaved ice with fruit). I've never tried one, but they certainly look delicious.

Best of all, they come in all kinds of flavors, both sweet and savory. In that way, they're similar to crepes. Some of the savory options include Green Ninja (spinach, feta cheese, sun dried tomato), Sumo Italiano (prosciutto di Parma, smoked ham, aged Parmesan, fresh basil) and Spicy Samurai (chicken apple sausage, pepper jack cheese, diced chili, fresh cilantro).

Are you drooling already? I know I am!

On the sweet side, there's the Fuji Sunrise (custard creme filling), Harajuku Monkey (banana and nutella) and Karaoke Kitty (strawberry, cream cheese Ghirardelli white chocolate). You'd probably enjoy the Fuji Sunrise if you like cream puffs a la Beard Papa's. Those are just a few of the Imagawa-yakis available. For the most diverse experience, I'd gather a bunch of friends and try them all!

Harajuku Girl - ergh, Monkey.

Location:
Fulfilled
9405 S. Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310.860.0776
www.fulfilledpastries.com

All photos by Pleasure Palate.

Design It. Price It. Make It.

Photo by Ponoko.

Ponoko believes you can create what you envision. The company functions as a public marketplace for designers to buy and sell their goods. As such, Ponoko helps people produce their own intricate furniture, toys, electronics and "everything else."

No fees. No minimum orders. No gimmicks. Just follow a few simple steps to get started. Using design software, your own camera or a designer's expertise, you can have that very own customized monster lamp delivered to your door. Or how about a fortune cookie Christmas ornament? Luckily, Ponoko's products are as functional as they are fashionable. This swallow necklace caught my eye.

If I were a kid again, I'd totally want this psychedelic choo-choo train for my birthday. Just be careful with the Nintendo zapper...

Plus, Ponoko recycles and reuses materials, so it's good for the environment too! For customized swim caps, pillows and other design musings, check out their blog. Ponoko was recently featured in Treehugger's Green Gift Guide.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

1. Red Velvet Cupcakes, made by Emily for our coffeehouse in April. And it was her first time baking them! These were my far the best dessert of the night. Look at all that homemade love.




2. Ban-chan. Because a true Korean meal just isn't the same without it. You've got your choice of black beans, kimchi, dried squid, sausage & asparagus, silky tofu and the requisite leafy salad with ginger dressing. (I think I may be secretly Korean.)




3. Pork Gopdol (stone bowl) Bibimbap. Please excuse the blurriness, which was due to all the hot steam rising from the dish. This version was lacking in the sweet and spicy department (Chef - what happened to your taste buds tonight?) but it didn't fail to fill me up. Gotta love that grub! (Han-gang; 34 West 32nd St; New York, 212.736.0099).

Note: I ate this pre-Swine Flu, so I had no problems with the pork.




4. Tomato soup, made in my very own kitchen. You, too, can make it yourself. Adjust the black pepper to your liking. Also, I find this soup pares well with grilled cheese-bacon-mushroom sandwiches. A wonderful meal on a rainy day, just like the ones Mom used to make.




5. New York mushroom slices. Take a look at the middle slice - big love! Generous New York portions.

Please Don't Kiss Me, You Slobbery Pig

So what's up with the swine flu? Ever since the first case erupted from Mexico three weeks ago, the public's uneasiness about the pig-transmitted virus is only growing. Witness the pandemonium: Airplane flight diversions, 30+ cases being reported in New York and Texas (among other areas) and school-wide shutdowns in Boston and Deer Park, NY -- not to mention all those white cough masks.

Treehugger conducted an informal interview with global health and emerging disease expert Laurie Garrett. Garrett is a fellow on the Council for Foreign Relations. She also wrote the book, The Coming Plague.

Suffice to say, I won't be kissing a pig anytime soon. (Try not to think of cuddly, cute sheep dog wannabe Babe.)

JUST SAY NO.

Egg McBao

Photo by Jason Lam.

Peeped this over at Serious Eats. You can make your very own McDonald's Egg McMuffin, Chinese-style! Actually, I've been doing this for years, except I use Thomas' English Muffin for the bread. A healthy breakfast D-lite to jump start your day.

Lowdown on FroYo: 16 Handles

Lining up for 16 Handles.

I'm lousy without a map. And sometimes...even with a map (sadness). It took Chloe and I a good 20 minutes wandering through Greenwich Village, Thompson Square Park and Washington Square Park - looping through an outdoor fair on W. 10th & 7th - until we found our target destination: 16 Handles. The line was out the door. A quartet of mega-hipster ("I'm so hip I can't be seen standing next to you because I'll become un-hippified" strut-unh-OH YEAH) guys lounged around outside the store licking their froyo.

At last! We knew we must've hit gold.

Picks of the day.

16 Handles is one-of-a-kind in that it's the only frozen yogurt store in Manhattan that sells 16 varieties of frozen yogurt (and two sorbets) and a bazoooka of fun toppings (from graham cracker to mochi). After pumping down the handles of your chosen frozen yogurts into your cup, you pay by weight (the frozen yogurt's - not yours). Also I noticed that the fruit toppings are quite fresh. The strawberries did not have a frozen sheen.

Chloe mixed Margarita and Berry frozen yogurts with mochi, mango, raspberries, strawberries, graham cracker and sprinkles. I went for the Margarita and Original frozen yogurts, mango sorbet, mochi, kiwi, mango and gummy bears (it came to $3.99 exactly). But next time I'll switch it up and try something different. My personal favorite was the Margarita base, as it actually tasted like the cocktail (none of that "hint of" nonsense). And I love my mango and gummy bears!

Ahead of us in line stood a conveyor belt of a dozen similary dressed slight-waisted females in their skimpy dresses, tight leggings and gladiator sandals. One curvy chick who had cut the line to talk to a friend said she couldn't have any frozen yogurt because of "carbs." Uhm...seriously? Please don't talk to me about carbs when I'm about to take a most resplendent bite of this froyo. Just don't.

Photo by Single Guy Ben.

Blogger chef Single Guy Ben has a whole expose of frozen yogurts in the Bay area. Check out his site for a run-down of his hit list and his most recent escapade at Yoppi Yogurt.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. If it weren't for the long lines and my froyo starting to melt before I could sit down and eat it, I'd give it 5 stars. The frozen yogurt itself is not as rich or tangy-tart as Red Mango or Pinkberry, but the wide variety of flavors and toppings more than makes up for it.


Location:
16 Handles
153 2nd Av
New York, NY 10003
www.16handles.com
212.260.4414
www.16handles.com

Everything Is Illuminated

Photo by EcoMeme.

For once, I don't think I'd mind wearing glasses. Even if they're a bit goofy-looking. But these high-quality iWood frames are made of wood! How crazy is that?

iWood glasses are developed from the unusable excess of an exotic veneer supplier in the USA. Each wood panel is certified by Forest Stewards Council. Made in Italy. 100% UVA/UVB protection. The lenses are combined with wood to create a chic sustainable design. At last, old world craftsmanship meets techy sophistication.

Even better, the glasses are designed by none other than high school students who earn college credits and receive a competitive salary while gaining experience.

Random Aside: I'm not sure what happens if you sweat - does the wood give off a weird odor? I'm guessing no, since the varnish should cover the wood.

Photo by mezzoblue.

Here's an iWood iPhone. These came out in June 2007. Read more on it at Treehugger.