​Long Beach​

​Hawthorne​

​Lomita​

​Rancho Palos Verdes​

I found the holy grail of pork belly! I'll be honest, pork belly isn't exactly the type of food that I crave or actively seek out, and when Aiko told me about this viral restaurant in Cerritos, I wasn't super excited about making the trek just for pork belly. But alas, I was quite mistaken. Samgyeopjib has the best food I've eaten in a while, and their concept is simple - pork belly cooked at your table on a Samgyeopsal (Korean pan made specifically for cooking pork belly), and self-serve banchan, perilla leaves, and pickled radish slices to eat with the pork. The combination of vegetables and pork is perfectly balanced, and I'm already planning our next visit! It gets super crowded here so it's advisable to arrive 15-20 min before they open to ensure that you get a seat.

It's hard to believe that we're coming up on the 30th anniversary of the release of ATLiens by OutKast (released in Aug 1996). Am I really that old?? I had this CD on repeat in 7th grade; I would write my own raps to "13th Floor/Growing Old" and memorize the lyrics to "Elevators (me and you)" to sing along with my friends. Revisiting this album now, after not having listened to it for a while, I'm transported to a different time and rediscovering how amazing and groundbreaking this album really was. André and Big Boi are at the top of their game from a "bars" perspective, the beats are futuristic and extremely bangin, and their overall creativity and presentation is off the charts. Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below are probably their most popular and critically acclaimed albums, but ATLiens will always occupy a special place in my heart!