I’ve had fun playing with my new Nokia Lumia Icon these past couple of weeks. I’ve been using it for inspiration from newly discovered restaurants by our new home in Los Angeles. The video taken above was from lunch with my little sister and DF at an Argentine restaurant, El Morfi Grill.

I’ve never had an empanada until I met my DF.  There are two kinds– ones that are baked and ones that are fried. My DF’s grandma makes the best empanadas. Hers, however, require a lot of love and time. They’re also smaller and crispier than those pictured above. Empanadas that you usually find are larger and softer than Grandma’s. To save on time, I attempted to make the larger, puffier empanadas. Here’s how it went down:

Please forgive my lack of video taking capabilities. I’m such a newbie. In the future, I’ll know to always take videos horizontally, not vertically. It’s also really hard to take videos with one hand and work with the other.

Pre-baking:

And all baked!

Hate to be such a tease, but the recipe will be up on the next post! I promise! Meanwhile, you can check out all that the Lumia Icon has to offer here. You can even get a special offer on it through that link! The camera has 20 MP and the video has 1080p HD, perfect for all those food pictures. All of the photos and videos above were taken on the Lumia Icon.

I’m actually loving the phone the most as a navigation tool. The wide, clear screen trumps my GPS by far. I don’t even use mine anymore. It’s also great for listening to Pandora while baking and cooking. Let’s just say it’s become a valued tool in my house already.

This is a sponsored post, but the opinions expressed are my own.

Have you guys heard of Roy’s Restaurant before? I lived within a couple of miles to one for so many years and never got the chance to visit until now. I’m so sad I’ve been missing out on such good food for all this time! If you didn’t know already, here’s a little bit about Roy’s:

The first Roy’s was opened by Chef Roy Yamaguchi in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1988. Now, there are 31 locations around the world! The restaurant is known for its unique and bold flavors, all while creating a getaway dining experience. The hospitality at each Roy’s is inspired by the “aloha” spirit of the Hawaiian Islands.

Let’s talk about the ambience. It’s classy, modern, and inviting. They have torches that they light on the outside of the restaurant (as pictured above), making you feel like you’re in Hawaii! My DF and I had reservations, so we were immediately seated upon walking into the restaurant.

Our booth was right next to the kitchen, and it was wonderful being able to see all of the action. More restaurants should have open kitchens. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly. My DF and I don’t go on very many date nights, so this was a wonderful opportunity for both of us.

The managing partner, Emilio, even came over and introduced himself to us while we were going over the menu. I love that! We even got to nibble on some edamame while deciding what to eat.

Before we made any decisions, the waiter brought out a special canoe appetizer that was especially made for us by the chef. It had Roy’s original blackened island ahi (my favorite), szechuan spiced pork ribs (DF’s favorite), rib-eye, lightly battered fried shrimp, and lobster potstickers. As if that wasn’t enough, my DF also decided to have the miso truffle soup.

Since I couldn’t decide which fish to have for dinner, I ordered the Roy’s Trio, which had a little bit of three different dishes. Salmon’s my favorite fish, but that misoyaki sauce on the butterfish was to die for. It’s the kind of sauce my DF would slurp by the spoonful (don’t tell anyone but he totally does that with the sauce when we go out for teppan).

Roy’s has a special called the Winter Trio that includes the roasted macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi (at some locations). For only $26.95, you can have an appetizer, entree, and dessert. At the Woodland Hills location, the Winter Trio includes crispy wagyu beef gyoza, macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi, braised beef short ribs, vanilla bean cremeux white chocolate, and a lemon sable cookie. That’s a whole lot of food for under thirty bucks! Just remember to use the code “TRIO” when reserving online at: http://www.roysrestaurant.com. This deal is available until Sunday, March 23rd.

Since my DF doesn’t eat fish, he got the grilled filet mignon that comes with fingerling potatoes and baby carrots. Are you guys getting hungry yet? 🙂

When the waiter took our meal order, he also asked us if we knew what we wanted for dessert since they have two desserts that take quite a while to make. The first one is a chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream. The second one was a pineapple upside down cake. That was a no brainer for us.. chocolate!

To our surprise, they ended up bringing out three desserts for us to try! How did they know that I always have room for dessert? My DF and I both agreed that the best one was the chocolate soufflé. It was brought out straight from the oven, hot and gooey in the center. It was crispy on the outside and had an intense chocolate flavor. I can’t even describe how delicious it was. You just have to go and find out for yourself.

We finished dinner off with a cappuccino and some coffee.

Honestly, the service was top notch and I would go back in a heartbeat. Have you ever been to Roy’s? What did you think? If not, here’s your change! I’m doing a giveaway for a $50 Roy’s Restaurant gift card. All you have to do is take a look at their menu HERE and let me know what item you’d want to try. This contest ends on Wednesday, February 5th, so make sure to let me know before then!

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