I Run to Be...

While registering for the Nike Women's Marathon a couple of weeks ago, I was asked to complete the following sentence:

I run to be..._________________.

I was stumped.  Why do I run?  I not only can use that time to do something else more productive or better yet, avoid some of the aches that I feel post run.  After a couple of minutes of contemplation, I typed in the field, 'Free.'

Here's a little background story on me: I used to strongly dislike hate running.  You see, back in middle school, we were required to run at least one timed mile a week.  If you didn't complete the run under twelve minutes, then you get the pleasure of running another mile the next day.  I hated that cruel punishment and would jokingly do a rain dance with one of my girlfriends.  (We never successfully grasped onto the concept, but the theory did amuse us at times.)  Who would have thought that what was once perceived as a punishment is now a leisure?

I started running back in Spring of 2009.  It started off with a 5k run, then another, and before I realized it, I signed up to tackle my first half marathon.  Throughout the Summer, I would drive to various beaches in Orange County as well as the South Bay, and just ran under the warm sun.  Eventually, the incentives reversed and I no longer was just running to train, but to find momentary relief from my daily woes.

They say that you can't run away from your problems, but I beg to differ.  For however long I chose to run for, I often find that I am momentarily free from my problems.  All I am left with are my thoughts, the music, and the pavement ahead.  No static, no work, no one else but me.  For an hour, I can selfishly get lost in my own thoughts, uninterrupted, and just attain some clarity (and some times, sanity!)  It's such a sacred time for me that it is partially why I often opt to run alone (aside from the dissatisfaction of losing pace.)

Although I do enjoy running solo, I find more joy in participating in events with friends.  It's not just the swag and medals that makes the event significant, it's the journey that you all take together before, during, and even after the event.  Throughout the years, I have been blessed by fun-loving spirited friends who have graciously ventured with me through various races.

Donate Life 5K | April 2009
Fullerton, CA
First 5k for ALL of us!

Corona Del Mar 5K | June 2009
Corona Del Mar, CA
Exclusively Scorpios.

Long Beach Half Marathon | October 2009
Long Beach, CA
Our very first halfie! (Although, my coworker had ran the LA marathon two years prior.)

Nike Human Race | October 2009
Los Angeles, CA
My first race with my little brother and friends from the hometown.

Irvine Lake Mud Run 5K Mud Run | October 2010
Irvine, CA
Our first MUD run.  

OC Marathon | May 2011
Costa Mesa, Corona Del Mar, Newport Beach, CA
First race with the fella (he ran the full marathon!)

The Color Run | April 2012
Irvine, CA
(before)
First all girls team (check out Electric Eunice's entry about our experience!)  + color run + running in costume!

(after)

How do you spend your 'Me' time?
-V.

Friday Feature: The Playground

Pssst...meet me at the Playground in 15 minutes!

Ohhh!  Are we going to play on the swings?  Play a "friendly" game of four square?
Nooooooooot exactly - we're going to eat!

You Me & All Our Friends.
Photo via: The Playground

Photo via: Foodieindisguise

For those who foodligiously followed The Great Food Truck Race in 2011 (season 2), you may catch a glimpse of a familiar face at The Playground.  Jason Quinn (alumni partner of the Lime Truck) had so much character in him that a limited truck did him injustice.  With a delicious vision, Quinn expanded his palette appeasing dishes into the heart of Downtown Santa Ana.

Photo via: Foodieindisguise

As often as kids make and break friendships during recess, the Playground keep foodies on their toes by changing the menu on a weekly basis.  Whilst dining, an euphoric nostalgia may trickle over you as sightings of colorful chalk phrases sprawl across the walls and the Ms. Pacman machine in front of the restaurant are spotted.  Not fond of the flashback to your grade school days?  Wash it down with one of the plentiful craft beers available. 



"Every Tuesday, the kitchen team will assemble and design a new menu for the week, taking full advantage of the finest available seasonal produce and fresh proteins. No doubt certain items will become frequent visitors on the menu as our customers let us know what their favorites are. But we will always work to keep the menu fresh and exciting and never the 'same old thing.'"


Although the dishes may change on a weekly basis, there are some favorites that mange to mark is territory as a regular on the menu.  The signature burger at the Playground can best be described (to me at least) as the love child of Father's Office delicate flavors and Umami's generous size, and then some.  Also, like many froufrou'd burger these days, I don't think that customization is permitted to the Playground burger.  Not that I'm complaining though, the burger was delicious.  The Gruyere cheese, light spread of a slightly sweet mustard (and I think something that tasted like a fried egg?) coated the monstrous patty perfectly.  As you can see, this burger is HUGE.  So huge, that when I showed a picture of it to my Mama, she responded, "No wonder you keep saying that you have to go run."  That's right, straight to the point - just like pulling off a band-aid with one yank.

The Playground's Signature Burger

I'm not a huge fan of rich beers such as Guinness, but the Bootlegger Black Phoenix beer was delicious!  A medium rich stout, the Black Phoenix had bold flavors of coffee and chipotle fence for my taste buds with each sip.  The only advice I have is to drink this fairly quickly.  Once the temperature of the beer drops, the chipotle will become more and more apparent.  Drink it fast unless you like a little sizzle to your beer!

We had a couple other items listed on the last week of March's menu, but unfortunately I forgot to jot it down :(  Thus, I'll leave you with this:

Playground's Inverted Bagel & Lox (not the official name! I just remember this as the server's description.)

P.S. - Take a gander through the Playground's website.  Quinn shares with readers some insightful and passionate words in honor of of the food served at Playground.

Bon Appetit!
-V.

Out of Town Feature: Firefly*on Paradise

Have you ever glanced over a menu and had the urge to order practically everything, but resisted because you otherwise would have a plethora of to-go boxes to take home?  Well, thanks to small plate servings such as dim sum and tapas, adventurous foodies can now have their cake and eat (all of) it too!
 
This past weekend, a few friends and I trekked over to Sin City to celebrate a dear friend's twenty-seventh birthday.

The darling birthday girl!

After checking into the Vdara Hotel (which is simply gorgeous in a minimal and contemporary fashion), we taxied off the Strip and arrived at Firefly to meet with some new friends for birthday dinner #1.  Since some of us skipped on breakfast and/or lunch, the ladies and I got a tad carried away with ordering.  But hey, we were planning on sharing.  And you know what they say, sharing is caring!

Amongst the extensive tapas offered, our entire group of seven probably ordered about a quarter to a third of the list (there were so many plates in rotation during dinner that I might have forgotten an item or few.)

Plate Agenda:

Photo via: Yelp

Photo via: Yelp

*Tuna Tartare
Smoked Salmon Toast
*Stuffed Dates
Sausage Plate
Thai Beef Salad
Stuffed Peppers
*Manchego Mac N Cheese
Fried Calamari
*Steamed Mussels
Lobster 'Escargots'
*Ham & Cheese Croquetas
Steak & Mushroom Skewers
Crispy Duck Roll
Paella
*Flavored Mojitos

* = personal favorites

 Although all the plates were delicious, I had a few noteworthy items that I wanted to spotlight. 

Stuffed Dates: It's been a few days since our tapas dinner yet I can still taste the delicious flavors of the dates.  The bacon that wrapped around the date & bleu cheese was cooked perfectly - slightly crispy but still chewy enough to enjoy each bite.  The sharpness of bleu cheese was a wonderful compliment to the sweetness of the dates, all enhanced with a red wine reduction glaze.

Photo via: Yelp

Steamed Mussels:  I'm not a huge advocate of mussels, but these were pretty darn tasty.  No, not because of the mussels itself, but because of the aromatic coconut curry sauce that it basked in.  Coming from a Southeast Asian background, I have a strong appreciation for cuisines that infuse coconut into its entrees as well as desserts.  The concoction was so good that we were all dipping our bread into the sauce, long after the mussels cleared out.

Photo via: Yelp

Ham & Cheese Croquetas:  I absolutely love the chicken croquettes at Portos Bakery (Burbank, CA) and never failed to order some when I'm dining elsewhere.  The smokiness of the Serrano ham and the buttery texture of the melted Manchego cheese was a match made in food heaven.  If we didn't already have a quarter of the menu sprawled out on our table, I would have suggested ordering seconds!

Photo via: Yelp

I was extremely surprised at the serving portions of each tapas plate.  After my last experience at Viva Madrid (Claremont, CA), I anticipated on having to pick up a snack on the way back to the hotel.  Luckily, that was far from the case at Firefly.  The portions were generous and sufficient to share amongst the seven of us.  Also, if a pitcher of mojitos is on your list, I would suggest the Mango flavored one - delish!

Would it be wrong of me to say that I want to come back to LV just for Firefly?

Special thanks to Marilyn for bringing us here! 

Bon Appetit!
-V.