Some nights are just meant for sleeping (:

Is it safe? A Review of Fat's Grill and Bar

Today I learned there was a shooting at my favorite Stockton bar a few nights ago. No one was injured. But still... startling. Am I safe to go there ever again?!

Man, nights are dangerous sometimes.

In any case, Fat's is my favorite bar here.

1. Cheap deals. Tuesdays $2 Kamikazes, Wednesdays $2 shots, Thursdays $1 PBR and $4 Jager bombs 
2. GLADIATOR!!! Yummy yummy drop shot.
3. If you're looking for a chat, go on Wednesdays. They have karaoke, so tell the DJ your song, sing it and rock it. If you follow these steps, you're guaranteed to earn some free drinks and talk it up with some friendly people.

GLADIATOR drop shot. I think it's Amaretto, vodka, Red Bull, and orange juice. I wish I knew.

Of course, I totally failed. This was taken on my 21st birthday--when I didn't know that a drop shot was meant to be dropped into the large cup. I took the shot and chased it instead. -___________- still yummy though.

Peach Kamikazes are $2 on Tuesdays

Hawaiian punch, I don't remember, Sweet Tart, peach kamikazes. The three drinks in the back were sweet. I'm more of a sour girl so I'm going to stick with my gladiator. But they're all worth a try!

Remeniscing with Skinnygirl Margarita

Last night we had a true girls' night: Skinnygirl Margaritas, Smirnoff Ice's, pad see ew (I know, random), Honeycombs (surprisingly a great munchy), and nuts (no, not those kind).

First, a little word on the Skinnygirls.

Bethenny Frankel, natural food chef, Real Housewife of NY, creator of Skinnygirl

I'm personally not much of a margarita fan. I actually don't like drinks with alcohol bases other than vodka. And when I'm taking shots, it better be Grey Goose. (Oh my goodness, since when did I turn into such a picky princess...)
Anyway, given all of that, I wasn't loving Skinnygirl. We chose to take shots of this. (Maybe that was a bad idea? Should we have blended it?) The drink has a strong aftertaste to it and I definitely needed to chase it down, or shove my mouth with Honeycomb cereal. For something that only has 12.7% alcohol content, chasing is not something I expected at all! But my friends who like margaritas and order them at restaurants and stuff--they liked it.

The drink is $14.99 for 750 ml at the Bevmo in Stockton. Beware! It goes by fast. We got two bottles for six girls and we got through about one and a half. If you're looking to get smashed, this drink isn't for you. But to run a nice buzz and get the girls chatty, perfect.

When the girls get together what do we do?? Talk about the 90s. We watched music videos from mostly Britney Spears all night long.

Oops!... I Did it Again - Britney Spears

 

I'm a Slave 4 U - Britney Spears

 Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera

Rumor - Lindsay Lohan (the girl who wanted to be Britney but couldn't)

Man, so long ago. And to think... some of the current junior high school students may not know about these people!!! Would they know about Michael Jordan?

HEHEHEHE remember when basketball shorts were this shot? Photo cred.: Fanpop.com

Elephant Bar Happy Hour Review

Elephant Bar has always been one of those places I go and don't know what to order. But I've finally got my favorite combination! Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi and OH! I don't remember the name right now. It's a champagne cocktail with passion fruit puree and St. Germain. SO GOOD. Of course the champagne cocktail wasn't on the Happy Hour Menu, so I settled for the Olu Passion Mai Tai instead.

The Happy Hour at Elephant Bar goes from Monday - Friday 3-7 PM and seven days a week from 9 PM-close. They have dishes from $3-6 and drinks from $2-5. Their dishes aren't anything special--nothing really stands out that I would order. It's more of like a "oh I'm drinking, I should have something to snack on" menu. The drink menu has all the classics--mai tais, martinis, lemon drops, beer, and martinis. All the drinks I've tried are tasty, but I'm not sitting at home craving them again (which I totally do for Fat's. Their gladiator drop shot is AMAZING).
Here's the menu: http://www.elephantbar.com/HappyHour/HappyHour.aspx

The chicken teriyaki wasn't very special and the chicken was a little dry. I wouldn't recommend this dish.

Hardwood Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl, part of the "Lighter Side" menu. $9.95

I could rave on and on about the dish below. The fish is SO meaty and the macadamia nuts add just the right amount of toast and crunch. I usually don't eat anything with mangoes in it, but the mango salsa served with this adds a good amount of fresh to the meal. Eating the entire meal alone is guaranteed to make you full but not uncomfortably stuffed. I shared half this time, and I left the restaurant wanting just a little more.

Macadamia nut crusted Mahi Mahi with your choice of brown or white rice and mango salsa $15.25

 I didn't really care for the garlic noodles either. The picture below is a half-portion, so you do get a generous amount of noodles, shrimp, and chicken (additional), but the entire dish is too salty. I really like my noodles hot, but this was just warm and ehhhh...

Garlic Noodles with Wok Seared Shrimp $12.95

 Delicious mai tai! It wasn't too sweet and it wasn't too strong. The only drawback with the Elephant Bar happy hour is that it's only available at the bar. You can't get the happy hour price if you order at the table. For $4, it's worth a try!

Olu Passion Mai Tai $4 during Happy Hour

This thing is strong! It's my first long island, so I'm not sure what it's really supposed to taste like, but man, had I ordered this for myself, I would have had a nice buzz going. The drink itself is very refreshing, and I can definitely taste the green tea notes.

Long Island Iced Tea $4 during Happy Hour

Places I Must Go, Things I Must See

1. Cirque du Soleil
Man, seriously, every time I went to Vegas (including all the times my parents took us as a "family vacation" hahah) I've wanted to go see these guys! I feel like I don't even know really what they do. But they're billboards in Vegas are so cool! And I just want to feel like a little kid watching magic... "HOW'D THEY DO THAAAAAAAAT......."

2. Gastropub, Orange, CA
I'm not much of a beer-girl, which of course the specialty of this place, but I am a huge fan of bar food and restaurant burgers. I must say, when this picture below popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, I almost died.

 

Photo Cred.: Joyce Hahn

3. Random taco truck. I'm going to let the pictures do the talking for this one. It's a taco truck that my boyfriend frequents while he's on the job. Located on South Bristol Street and Hemlock Way in Santa Ana.

Pink taco truck. Photo cred.: Nathan Kim

Carne asada... drooooooooooool
Photo cred.: Nathan Kim

Lengua
Photo cred.: Nathan Kim

Photo cred.: Nathan Kim

That's all for now. It's raining a lot in Stockton. It's quite depressing. I have a million places I'd rather be right now, but I will stop thinking about them so that I won't torture myself more than necessary.

Going out to dinner tonight! Will post pictures of recommendations next time (:

Weak in the...toes

Man, Vegas sure has done a number on me! I'm still feeling the post-Vegas effects--well, one of them. NUMB TOES. What?! It's the strangest feeling.

Vegas happened the first weekend of my Spring Break. So in the midst of trying to pack for my weekend of fun and then the rest of my break (which I spent at an internship. I know right? Two very different sets of bags.), I forgot to pack my Toms into my Vegas bag. So guess what the plan was? To walk in heels all day and all night. But after the first night, I came down with a case of numb toes. Thank goodness there was a CVS right next to The Venetian that sold slippers.

Heels are great. Heels + short hem line = long legs.

Men, the legs are optical illusions. But you're welcome to be fooled.

 What I didn't realize, however, was really how much damage I'm doing to myself. Of course, I knew the obvious ones: blisters, swollen feet, etc. But take for example my numb toes. My toes are numb because my nerves are pinched! I'm supposed to heal with rest and without treatment, but if I kept wearing heels, I don't doubt I would do some serious nerve damage. And take a look at the damage we do to our posture!

Scary folks.

I've sworn off my heels for about another week or so. Let's hope my numb toes go away soon!

Relief for Japan

The tragedy in Japan occurring right now is horrible, and it isn't getting any better. A combination of natural and nuclear disasters has left the country in pieces--literally. As our thoughts and prayers go out to the citizens, those studying abroad, those traveling abroad, those working abroad, and their families, I would like to highlight some fundraising events that are taking place.

1) Tonight at Dodgers Stadium and Laugh Factory

B. Castillo, K. Landreaux, R. Law, A. Ferrara, J. Campanis, D. Thomas (all former Dodgers) and KNBC (Channel 4) will be at the Stadium today from 5 AM - 7 PM. The Dodgers are hosting a "drive thru" fundraiser. Cash and check donations are accepted. Those donating more than $20 will receive a ticket to an exhibition game to be played at the stadium later this month.

Laugh Factory is hosting "Stand Up For Japan" tonight at 8 PM. All ticket sales will be donated to the Red Cross Los Angeles Region. Kevin Nealon, Tommy Davidson, Tony Rock, Jeremy Hotz, Jackson Perdue, Paul Ogata, KT Tatara and Paul Rodriguez are amongst those scheduled to perform.
Source: http://www.ourweekly.com/los-angeles/fundraisers-japans-earthquake-set-dodger-stadium-laugh-factory


2) "#Pray for Japan" Art Fundraiser Exhibition

The exhibition is scheduled to run from March 19 - April 4. The opening reception is on March 19 from 7 - 10 PM on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Visit this Facebook event page for details, how to volunteer, list of artists, and sponsors: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132139093526361

3) San Diego Padres on May 20

If the Dodgers aren't your cup of tea, perhaps the Padres aren't so bad. As part of their Japanese Heritage Night, the Padres are raising funds on May 20th during a game against the Seattle Mariners. The club has announced that it will match donations that come in through the Padres Foundation. Not all the details for this event are available yet, so keep posted.
Source: http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/padres_pledge_fundraising_support_for_japan/4369180

4) Restaurants
Takami Sushi to donate 100% of proceeds until an undetermined date.
Oiwake Restaurant collecting $5 donations for RC at the door for their clubbing event on Friday, March 18 from 9 PM - 2 AM (21+).
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/15/los-angeles-japan-tsunami_n_835787.html#s253676&title=Ongoing_Takami_Sushi

I hope you will take this chance to give your night life a little bit more meaning. For you, it's just a $5 cover or the price of a ticket. What's even better is that you're getting get food, tickets, a show, or entertainment for that donation. For those in Japan right now, it's essential.

Las Vegas, Nevada

This is truly a party destination where time is not an issue. You do what you want, when you want--no exceptions--and EVERYONE wants to party.

Yes, even the living statue at The Venetian wants to party. (Photo cred. Jiwon Kim)

I spent three days and two nights on The Strip with a total party of 8. It is a miracle we even got there. Our car spun out on the freeway! That was nuts man. Needless to say, having gone through a near-death experience, we were expecting a lot from Vegas. Vegas never fails to deliver.

If you go with a big group, basically you are only going to do three things:
1) Eat
Grand Lux Cafe is delicious and open 24 hours for that late-night, after clubbing, fourth meal (reservations welcome). It's run by the owners of Cheesecake Factory.The dish below was really savory and satisfying. Their burgers, though I don't have a photo, are TO DIE FOR! Huge, juicy meat patties on toasted buns with just the right amount of crunch.

 

Miso Salmon and Caramel Chicken combo plate $19

 The Carnival World Buffet at the Rio is also a good choice. Highlights: Cost ($24.99/person for dinner), crab legs, prime rib, $2 drinks. It has a late crowd, so be sure to get there around 6-7 PM to avoid waiting.

2) Dance and party
Clubbing is easy for a group of girls. It's a three-step process. 1. Get fancy 2. Walk to the club 3. Get approached by a promoter. At the third step, you'll be escorted in to the club, get at least one drink on the house, and the rest of the night is as good as you make it!

Step 1. Get fancy (Photo cred. Christine Hwangpo)

Traveling with a mixed group is a little more tricky, however. You definitely need to get on the guest lists. If you're a fan of club hopping, get on multiple guest lists. Be smart about where you choose to party. Lines get long and clubs get packed at around 11 PM. If you have more than 2-3 clubs you want to make it to in one night, most of your night will be consisted of watching drunk people waiting in lines.
Besides that...

• Make sure your men are in dress code (Jeans are ok most places. But dress shoes are a necessity.) 

• Have proper ID that actually looks like you (state issued driver's license or passport). If your ID picture was from when you were 16 and you haven't updated it, take another ID and credit card. These bouncers are no joke. 

• Leave the dance floor even if you feel a SLIGHT inkling of the need to pee!! The lines get ridiculous. 

3) Walk the Strip
The great thing about this is that you don't need a destination. Just walk around, people-watch, buy silly things, and take lots of pictures.

$1 shot glass Mardi Gras necklaces

The Rock (Photo cred. Jiwon Kim)

 Of course Vegas has a lot of other things to offer. You can watch shows, try your luck on the casino floor, go to a strip club, go hiking, rent fancy cars, go shopping... you can make it the vacation you want it to be. That is, if you can wake up before 11 AM and still be functional. Our group wasn't. When I go back I'll try all the others.

The Starting Line

To put it simply, I've spent my entire life in a blender. I've learned to blend Korean heritage with American lifestyle, SoCal and NorCal living, and Orange County home and Los Angeles play ground. As I blend who I am to the surroundings I'm in, I learn so much about myself, my culture, and the different flavors that the world has to offer. And so I've started BAMjo.

BAMjo is a play on words. My name is Joanne (hence the Jo). But more than that, in Korean, bam jo translates to "give me the night." The purpose of my blog is to give you all things night life. The places to go (and not to go), the things to wear, the people to call, the things to have ready, the food to eat and the drinks to drink. Granted, there are many places I haven't been and I may not have the opportunity to travel all over the world. I do have, however, an adventurous heart and a love for a good time.