Golfer's Lounge at Trump National Golf Club

Zohreh and I were early, so we ordered our drinks. Sugar made her grand entrance 10 minutes later. Only she can get away with her wild outfits! We were there for Happy Hour.

We usually order Martinis, but I wanted to try a Gimlet this time, which I haven't had in a long time. I was very pleased, and this did not disappoint. Both Zohreh and Sugar stuck to their usual.

We had the Shrimp Cocktail to start. Sugar was not very hungry, so she had the Mezze; Black garlic hummus, baba ganoush, muhammara, marinated feta, cured olives, grilled za'atar, and spiced pita.

Zohreh decided to try the Blackened Sea Bass Tacos in corn tortillas, pickled cabbage, and chile aioli. She also had some sweet potato fries to go with it. I stuck to my favorite Trump Burger, which is always delicious. The only bad thing is it is messy to eat. I got all sorts of stuff on my fingers and later discovered I had spots on my blouse! This came with fries, which were perfectly cooked. 

Our server, Kevin, was the best. He was so engaging that we almost had him sit with us. He was on the ball! We couldn't believe it when he told us he'd been working there for 17 years and we had never met him. 

It was a beautiful day, and we had so much fun enjoying each other's company.

Trump National Golf Club is located at One Ocean Trails Dr. in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Sugarfish

It was that time again when Yvonne and I had to go to one of our favorite sushi/sashimi restaurants. This time, we had Zohreh, who never had the pleasure of tasting this delicacy. I thought, if she didn't like it, Yvonne and I could eat her portion, and she could order something else. 

We got there shortly after they opened for lunch. I brought along my favorite sake, which my friend Ante introduced to me. The sake was so smooth that I immediately looked for it and got it. This was the perfect time to bring it along as I figured the 3 of us could finish a bottle.

There were several choices on the menu. The Trust Me, Trust Me Light (which I don't think is for any of us)) and the Don't Think, Just Eat menu. We all opted for the Don't Think, Just Eat menu. Of course, people with small appetites could always get a la carte.

We started with the Edamame, which was good and got us going. Shortly after that was our first dish. I don't remember anything about which fish was which; I just savored and enjoyed every bite. Excitedly, I forgot to take a picture of a plate with 6 items and another sushi roll.

I was ecstatic that Zohreh enjoyed her meal! Both Yvonne and Zohreh were full. Although I was full, I could have eaten another 4 pieces. 

Sugarfish is still very good, and the service was just as good. Sugarfish is located at 304 12th St. in Manhatten Beach, California. They do not take reservations, so the best time to go is when they first open.

Love & Salt

Mary and I decided to celebrate our birthdays together. She suggested Love & Salt. I've never been there, so I was excited to try.

My chauffeur, Mary, picked me up. We were lucky to find parking across the restaurant. They had just opened, so we appreciated the quiet. 

We skipped appetizers. We were both ready to get right on to business. She ordered her favorite dish, 1/2 of the Free-Range Chicken, served with torn bread and wilted greens. This dish actually tasted better than it looked. It was very tasty, and the bread was so yummy!

I ordered the Creste di Gallo Midollo Pasta, which means coxcombs. It resembles a rooster/s crest. This was served with bone marrow, garlic confit topped with crispy breadcrumbs and parmesan. I loved it, it was flavorful and salty which was heaven to me. 

Since we were celebrating our birthdays, they gave us a piece of carrot cake with candied nuts. The cake was moist, and we both inhaled it. By the time we left, the restaurant was packed!

Love & Salt is at 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Manhattan Beach, California.

First Watch

 On my last day in Stuart, Sandi treated me to First Watch. Her son told me to make sure to try the "million-dollar bacon."

We got there before the crowd. According to Sandi, this place is always packed. We waited less than five minutes. 

We agreed to split an order of Blackberry Lemon Cream French Toast, which is a thick-cut custard-dipped challah bread griddled and topped with lemon cream, fresh blackberries, mixed berry compote, crème anglaise, and spiced gingerbread cookie crumbles and lightly dusted with powdered sugar, and an order of the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with whipped ricotta cheese with berries and a creamy lemon curd and powdered cinnamon sugar. Though the lemon ricotta pancakes were delicious, they didn't come close to the blackberry lemon cream French toast, the best French toast I've ever had!

The Million-Dollar Bacon was indeed appropriately named. Luckily, it didn't cost that. It did taste like a million-dollar!  They were baked in brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne and drizzled with maple syrup. Just writing about it makes me salivate. Thank God, Sandi ate only 1, so I finished the rest.

First Watch is at 2125 S.E. Federal Hwy. in Stuart, Florida. They have multiple locations, but unfortunately, there are none in Los Angeles.

Collage

If there's one restaurant you should go to while in St. Augustine, Florida, this is the place. It will be best if you make reservations in advance. We were lucky to be able to get one. The restaurant is small; it's charming and welcoming, very much like someone's home. 

They presented us with a basket of delicious crusty warm bread roasted with baked garlic. Fortunately, neither of us had any prospects of kissing anyone that evening.

For starters, we ordered the Burrata For Two, fresh house-made mozzarella stuffed with goat cheese mousse accompanied with apricot configure, raspberry gastrique, and spiced walnuts served with focaccia crostini. I've never had anything like it; needless to say, we both enjoyed it.

Though several entrées looked good, we decided on the Beef Tenderloin Au-Poivre. The steak is encrusted in peppercorn over sweet corn purée, creamy parmesan polenta, and French green beans. Sandi and I love polenta; I first thought there wasn't enough. I was wrong. The portion was perfect. The steak was wonderful. It couldn't have been any better. They served us a sorbet to cleanse our palette which did the job.

We were not leaving there without ordering dessert, even if we were full. It was a no-brainer to order their signature dessert, Bougainvillea. Strawberries sautéed in butter, black pepper, and cabernet vanilla sauce poured over vanilla bean ice cream served in a crispy phyllo cup. 

It is seldom that a restaurant can have the best starters, entrées, and desserts. This is an exceptionally superb restaurant. I have to mention that our server, Alyssa, was great! Collage is located at 60 Hypolita St. in St. Augustine (the oldest city in the United States), Florida.

La Grande Martier

This historic, family-owned restaurant, a speakeasy circa 1920, offers fine dining. When Sandi and I went, a lady was playing the piano. The restaurant is charming and has a very welcoming ambiance.

We wanted something light, so we both had the Onion Soup, which was delicious. We also ordered the Caribbean Crab & Shrimp Cakes, which I thought was great, but unfortunately, Sandi did not care for it, so guess who forced herself to finish her portion? 

They had Truffle butter NY Strip topped with truffle butter, red wine demiglace, Filet Au Poivre with a dijon-cognac peppercorn sauce, and many others I would have wanted to try. It's just too bad they are not located in Los Angeles! I will have to wait and visit them the next time I'm in Florida.

La Grande Martier is located at 23 SW Osceola St. in Stuart, Florida.

Leftovers

Last Friday, Stephen and Elena took Sandi and me to Leftovers Restaurant. They have been there numerous times and raved about their seafood and it being a Friday in Lent, we had to order their specialty fish.

They have a variety of Daily Catch; flounder, golden  tile, corvina, wahoo, cobia, red fish, dolphin, tripletail, grouper, and salmon. The restaurant was known for not only fresh fish but the "fish crust." The Sweet Potato Crust is crusted (choice of fish) over greens, tomato, onion, greenbeans, apples & grapes with keylime garlic dressing. The Butternut Rosemary Parm fish crusted over Romaine, onion, capers, roasted red peppers, parmesan with Caesar dressing. TheBoniato Coconut Habanero is  fish crusted over greens, jicama, papaya & kiwi with citrus kiwi dressing. 

Sandi got the Flounder  with the Sweet Potato Crust. She loved her fish. I ordered the Tripletail which was recommended by Stephen and since I've never even heard of the fish, I ordered that with the Butternut Rosemary Parmesan It was absolutely delicious! 

Sandi and I also ordered their famous Mac & Cheese which was made with a penne pasta. That was in my opinion, the best one I've ever had!

Stephen and Elena are both on a "Keto Diet" so they ordered a fish with avocado and also shared a Lobster Tail which looked  delectable!

I was so impressed with this restaurant. Service as great. Ali, our server did a good job. Their only downfall was the dessert. Sandi ordered the carrot cake "to go" since were were so full. She had a couple of bites and said it was just okay. I didn't even bother to try it as she didn't want to have any more. For $14.- a slice, it should be more than okay.

If and when I come back to Jupiter, I would definitely go back to Leftovers but will skip the dessert.

Leftovers is located at 451 University Blvd., Jupiter in Florida.