My husband and I, being the true Millenials we are, would declare ourselves as foodies. The Wikipedia definition of foodie is “A foodie is a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and who eats food not only out of hunger but also as a hobby.” We love finding the best spots in town, every single time we move (which seems to be about every two years). I could not recommend doing this enough. No matter what size town you are in, there are going to be some really fantastic hidden gems to discover and eat at that you probably haven’t heard of yet. 

Our last move was probably the hardest as a foodie because we gave up moving less than a quarter mile away from the world’s best salsa verde (insert three sobbing emojis). We moved in April of 2020 and moving at the beginning of the pandemic last year when everything was still so unknown was, of course, very intense for so many reasons. One reason being we also had to leave behind our beloved hard shell carne asada tacos and burritos that are the size of a football player's full arm! That was a tough pill to swallow!

I am happy to report, however, that a new Mexican grill just opened, yet again about a quarter mile away with excellent, albeit not perfect, salsa verde. It took me a year, but I found it ladies and gents. I found the sauce that makes life just better. It seems like I may or may not have salsa verde just flowing through my veins. A great salsa verde just feeds the soul. 

We now live right by Irvine, California and there are about a million excellent, 4.5 stars and above places near us, which I cannot wait to try. Many of them are different types of Asian cuisine like ramen, pho, authentic Chinese food, curries, etc. If I had all the money in the world and sodium didn’t matter I would eat somewhere new at least 5 nights a week :)

I grew up in a small town with 5,000 people, but I’m telling you, there were some really great eats there, even with a town that small. The key is looking on Yelp and starting by finding the highest rated restaurants in your town and then really digging into reading lots of reviews to find out what’s good on the menu. If everybody keeps mentioning the carne asada nachos (in a good way, of course), you better try the dang carne asada nachos!

Or if you look at the pictures of people’s food you often notice a trend of the same dish over and over and that’s what you want to try. Alternatively, you can go the classic route of asking someone who works at the restaurant what is most popular, or what are their particular faves. I’m not going to lie to you and say this is easy work. If you want the results of the most excellent food, you’ve got to put in the time but I think the research really pays off :)

What are some of the best restaurants or types of cuisine you have tried recently in your town lately? Do you have any insider foodie tips on how to pick the best restaurants near you? I’m going to have to write a review and tell you about my obsession with an El Salvadorian restaurant near me another time, because those papupas are worth a whole write-up of their own. It would be insulting to just casually mention them here! 

May you find your salsa verde--the food or sauce that will fuel your veins--and hopefully within a five-mile radius of your home ;)